Skip to main content
‘Poems are empathy machines’
CHRISTINA THATCHER believes poetry can carry an emotional charge that deepens awareness and comprehension of issues like climate change
POETIC EVOCATION: A Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) carried by Extinction Rebellion protesters past the Science Museum in London

I DISCOVERED Ellen Bass’s poem, Birdsong from My Patio, during the first British lockdown.

My garden hedge was stuffed with sparrows who seemed to always be singing. I expected to see and hear them in this poem too and, at first, I did: “I’ve never heard this much song, trills pure as crystal bells.”

However, images of “acid rain,” “pesticides,” “contaminated insects” and “thin-shelled eggs” moved swiftly in.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
PS
Books / 29 January 2026
29 January 2026

JULIA TOPPIN recommends Patti Smith’s eloquent memoir that wrestles with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime

autism
Books / 23 December 2025
23 December 2025

JOSEPHINE BARBARO welcomes a diverse anthology of experiences by autistic women that amounts to a resounding chorus, demanding to be heard

FRESH THINKING NEEDED: Brazilian firefighters walk outside the venue for the Cop30 UN Climate Summit, in Belem, Brazil
Features / 11 November 2025
11 November 2025

Reaching co-operation is supposed to be the beginning, not the end, of global climate governance, argues LISA VANHALA

futures
Book Review / 12 August 2025
12 August 2025

CARL DEATH introduces a new book which explores how African science fiction is addressing climate change