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Earth Odyssey

1. Earth

Earth
An opalescent sphere
In the vast blackness of space
A pinprick of light
In the swirl of glittering galaxies
Insignificant

Earth
A chance collision of matter
In the explosive chaos of creation
A random collusion of gases
In the exhalation of universal breath
Miraculous

Earth
A fertile womb
For seeding and nurturing life
A stranded home
For birthing and growing and dying
Precious

2. Dreaming

Before Earth took form
Before it coalesced and congealed
Was there a moment of musing—
An impulse for ideation?

Was there a primordial urge
To create, even to play
To splash with light
And to mould shapes and sizes
To brush with colour
And to print tones and textures?

Before Earth knew itself
Before it discovered its solid identity
Was there a pregnancy of possibility—
A desire for dreaming?

3. Incubation

Time …
The thing to know about time
Is that it stretches out
And not just a little bit
A lot
More than a lot
Much, much more than a lot—
Time may even stretch to infinity

Earth …
The thing to know about Earth
Is that it is patient
And not just a little bit
A lot
More than a lot
Much, much more than a lot—
Earth is billions of years patient

That’s important to know
Because Earth took its time
To incubate life
After all, what’s the rush?

4. Secret

Earth holds a great secret—
A secret recipe, if you must know
For aeons, it has not been shared
Not with anyone
(No other planet, at least)
It’s our secret to know
And our secret to keep

Earth’s secret recipe
Did not arrive fully formed
Like all the best recipes
It took trial and error at first—
A dash of this, a pinch of that
It took a lot of adjustment—
A smidge less of that, a tad more of this
It took endless refinement …
Until, at last, it was perfect:

Earth’s Secret Recipe for Supporting Life

(Shhh … don’t tell anyone!)

5. Womb

Don’t listen to Sky
Sky will drone on and on (if you let him)
About how he created the perfect conditions
For life to emerge
Bla-dy, bla-dy, bla

That’s all hot air (if you ask me)
I am Ocean, by the way
And if it’s life you’re interested in—
Especially how it all got started—
Then you need to speak to me

I’m the one who mixed the waters
It was my swaying depths and sweeping breadth
That were fetid and fertile
It was my spewing vents and salted streams
That were fuming and fermenting
What can I say:
It takes a woman’s womb
To incubate life

6. Survival

Many tried and failed, if truth be told—
To survive, that is
It’s not easy, you know
Despite what Sky or Ocean may say
Getting started is easy
Keeping going—that’s the hard bit

And don’t go believing that nonsense
About survival of the fittest
Sometimes the strongest survive
But, more often than not, they don’t
Along with the weakest
And the not so strong and the not so weak

Now, the most adaptable—
That’s another story
That’s the real story of success
The ones who fit best into their changing environment
They were ones who survived
They fitted, for survival

7. Evolution

Earth spins in space
But Earth is not space
Space is mostly empty
(That’s why it’s called space)
But life abhors a vacuum

Life on Earth
Strives to fill in the empty spaces
If there’s a niche, that’s where life is headed
But unlike the void of space
Spaces on Earth are defined
They have size and shape, boundaries
Which means that for each space
Some life fits better than others
And when it fits better, it thrives
That’s evolution for you

The upward march of life on Earth
Is not so much a march as a scramble
And not so much upward and anyward
Life rises and falls, blooms and fades
And yet, is it not beautiful?

8. Synergy

Life reaches out:
Because living can be lonely
And being alone is doomed to failure

Life extends feelers:
Curious about what it might find
Wondering, hoping that there are others

Life makes connections:
With others like itself—how comforting, how interesting
And others not like itself—how frightening, how exciting

Life offers exchanges:
This for that, mine for yours
Until the line between one and another blurs

Life finds synergies:
Better together, the whole greater
That the sum of its parts

9. Balance

Sometimes reaching out and connecting
Is for support, for a steadying hand
Because life on Earth is forever tipping
And toppling, seasons slipping
And sliding, forms flailing
And falling apart, if you’re not careful

Earth is in constant motion—
The ground shaking and shifting
The water flowing and flooding
The air ducking and diving—
All is movement, like a dance
Of push and pull, forward and back
Like a game of give and take, rise and fall.

And in the dizzying swirl of forever change
Life craves stasis, stability, security
And so it actively adjusts,
Life constantly compensates,
And endlessly equates
And so it just about stays on its feet

10. Improv

Excuse me, may I say something?
I’m Nature, and I need to set the record straight
Just so there’s no misunderstanding
Sure, I like to dance, to swoon and sway
To tap into Earth’s rhythms,
I like to sing too, hit high notes and low
Harmonies that will take your breath away
But it’s not all about balance

Sometimes, I like to lose my balance
I like to miss a step and skip a beat
To sing off key or just hold my breath
Otherwise, frankly, it all gets a bit boring
A bit too prosaic and predictable
Whereas I like to experiment, to wing it
Try new combinations, improvise

That doesn’t make me crazy (despite what you may have heard)
I’m just saying there’s a place for freestyle dance and jazz too

11. Catastrophe

Hello? Hello! Is this thing on?
It’s Earth again
So sorry, sometimes my wilder Nature grabs the mic
And then … well, you heard him
Suddenly anything goes

What Nature failed to mention
Is that improv is all very well—
The results can be spectacular, sublime—
But just as often, it’s chaos
Or worse: catastrophe!

More than a few times
Nature’s little experiments have gone awry
Think fire and ice, fever and hypothermia
Volcanic ashes and biblical floods
Dark days and mass extinctions

More than a few times
It’s been touch and go

12. Resilience

Still, here I am
Here we are, still here

I guess I’m just not a quitter
And I’ve learned a thing or two
About survival, against the odds
Patience helps, so does perseverance
And it’s not passive, wishful thinking
I don’t just lie back and hope for the best
I actively repair, restore, and regenerate
What is damaged, dysfunctional, or dead

I could teach you a thing or two
About resilience
Like always keeping a bit in reserve
Spare capacity, in case of emergencies
And always spreading your bets
Diversify and decentralise
Like always being willing to change

But are you willing to learn?

13. Humans

This brings me to a touchy subject:
Humans

I know, I know, I created humans
The fruit of my Earthly loins and all that
And at first, I was the proudest parent on the playground
Every new step, every new word, every new artwork
Amazing, incredible, so proud!

But lately I’m not so sure
Humans have become so selfish
And don’t get me started on the mood-swings—
One moment they’re happy as Larry, perfect little angels
Next think you know it’s tantrums and fights:
Crying and kicking, bullying and biting

It hurts

14. Hope

I feel I must apologise
You caught me feeling a little down
A little depressed even
But that’s not like me
I’m usually sunshine and rainbows
Upbeat and optimistic
That’s the real Earth me

You see, I have every reason to be hopeful
I still have unwavering faith in humans
Yes, they are clumsy and a bit self-absorbed sometimes
But they are also caring and creative problem solvers
Yes, they fumble and they fall and they fail
But they also recover and they rise and they revolutionise

And truth be told
My health and wellbeing
My fate and future
Is not solely in the hands of humans

15. Rewilding

I think that’s my cue
Nature here
That’s right, I’m back

It’s true what Earth says about humans
I know their machines and misdemeanours all too well—
I’ve been pummelled and poisoned, battered and bruised—
But I heal quickly, given half a chance

I’ve not given up on humans
Nor have they given up on me
They are starting to understand my powers of regeneration
How I can turn wastelands into wetlands
And make the deserts bloom again
How I can reseed the felled forests
And breathe life into dead waters

I will rewild the world
Sooner or later, that’s my promise—
With or without humans

16. Love

That’s so like Nature
Always wanting to have the last word
And so melodramatic!

But I don’t mind
Nature is part of me
Sky, Ocean, Life, humans
You are all part of me and I am part of you
You make me who I am
And I am pretty remarkable
(And remarkably pretty!)
Even if I say so myself

My story—
This Earth Odyssey—
Is your story
And at heart it is a story of love:
My love for you
And (I truly believe)
Your love for me

Wayne Visser © 2025

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Letter to Earth

Dear Earth

I have some things I’d like to say, things I need to get off my chest
But feelings can be tricky, so I thought that pen and paper’s best
I’m writing you this letter, to explain myself, as best I can
And, not to spoil the surprise, but I’m just about your biggest fan

Part 1. I See You

If you were our mother, I wonder, would you be proud or sad?
Would you see our kindness, the good in our hearts, and be glad?
Would you rejoice in what we’ve achieved, the lessons that we’ve learned?
And what of the chances we’ve squandered, the bridges that we’ve burned?

I want to say: I see you!
Though, in truth, at times I close my eyes
For what we humans do sometimes makes me quite ashamed
We have inflicted our ugliness, peddled our lies
I only hope that what’s been lost still can be regained

I see your beauty, and how you have been scarred
Your jungles cut, your mountains mined, your grasslands charred
I see your bounty, and how you have been scammed
Your creatures killed, your airways choked, your rivers jammed

I want to say: I see you!
Your emerald forests and umber sands
Your sapphire oceans and azure skies
Your mountain peaks and frozen lands
Your coves and caves where mystery lies

Part 2. I Hear You

If you were our father, I wonder, would you be calm or mad?
Would you cherish our resilience, stand by our actions, good and bad?
Would you relish the battles we’ve fought, no matter if we lost or won?
And what of the havoc we’ve unleashed, the destruction that we’ve spun?

I want to say: I hear you!
Though, in truth, at times I block my ears
For what we people do sometimes leaves me quite disturbed
We have amplified our noisiness, trumpeted our fears
I only hope that what’s been hushed can one day be reheard

I hear your melody, and how you have been muted
Your chorus stifled, your voice muffled, your wisdom refuted
I hear your symphony, and how it turns to silence
Your songs distorted, your cries ignored, your peace met with violence

I want to say: I hear you!
Your singing whales and tweeting birds
Your shrieking storms and sighing breeze
Your howling wolves and grunting herds
Your roaring lions and creaking trees

Part 3. I’m Sorry

If you were our child, I wonder, would you be happy or furious?
Would you look forward to your future with bright unbridled hope?
Would you be carefree, would you play, would you be curious?
And would you understand our folly when you’re struggling to cope?

I want to say: I’m sorry!
Though, in truth, at times I seal my lips
For what our leaders do sometimes, I have to say, I hate it
We have taken your wild places and turned them into tips
I only hope that what’s been spoiled can be rejuvenated

I feel your disappointment and how you’ve been neglected
Your land poisoned, your seas polluted, your biodiversity affected
I feel your melancholy and how you’ve been degraded
Your wetlands drained, your corals bleached, your living treasures raided

I want to say: I’m sorry!
For being so careless with your gift of life
For being so selfish with my unquenchable need
For being so childish with my endless strife
For being so callous with my insatiable greed

Part 4. I Love You

If you were our deity, I wonder, would you be angry or forgiving?
Would you give us another chance; another chance at living?
Would you want us to carry on, or rather wipe the slate all clear?
And would you be willing to help us, teach us; would you hold us dear?

I want to say: I love you!
Though, in truth, at times I harden my heart
For what we humans do sometimes makes us undeserving
We’ve cut so many sacred strands and torn your web apart
I only hope we’ll realise your life is worth preserving

I love your wholeness, and how you manage to survive
Your vitality, your diversity, your myriad ways to thrive
I love your openness, and how you reach up for the skies
Your buds in spring, your blooming flowers, your elusive butterflies

I want to say: I love you!
Your kaleidoscope of colours, your infinity of shapes
Your secrets of the helix code and evolution’s tree
Your everchanging seasons, the patterns weather makes
Your puzzle of creation, and maze paths to be free

P.S.

I had these things to say, so I’ve written you this letter
Though now I realise, I wrote it more for me than you
I wrote to say how much I care, and that I’ll do much better
And if I’m not mistaken, I think that maybe you care too

Lots of love
Your Great Admirer

Wayne Visser © 2023

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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The Earth Turns

The Earth turns
Each year brings change
The sea churns
Each wave seeds rains
The mind learns
Each thought plays games
The heart yearns
Each beat sparks flames

A love that’s lost can reappear
A hidden face can be revealed
A soul that’s hurt can turn from fear
A sacred scroll can be unsealed

The world spins
Each day brings light
The path twists
Each boon or blight
The stream flows
Each ripple bright
The dawn sings
Each wish takes flight

Wayne Visser © 2023

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Healers of the Earth

Some may see a patch of dirt
But you see so much more
You see a place where seeds can grow
Where nature can restore
The living soil, the buds of hope
The blooms and buzzing bees
You see a place of flourishing
Of birds and frogs and trees
For we are healers of the Earth
We make her frayed web whole
And as we do, we heal ourselves
In body, mind and soul

Wayne Visser © 2022

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Earth Spirit

Whenever life gets me down
When I feel disconsolate, disillusioned, disconnected
Wandering aimlessly and wondering wistfully
When something’s amiss and I don’t know what it is
I find it helps to call upon the Spirit of the Earth
To invoke that which moves and breathes and infuses all life
To remind me of my vital place in the universe
Where I am inextricably linked, connected, enmeshed
Swaying in sync with the moon and tides
Stretching for the skies along with trees and birds
Singing in unconscious harmony with nature’s chorus
And never truly alone, or cut off or superfluous
Never really without direction or bereft of love
For the great Earth Spirit enfolds me and entwines us
It binds our actions and amplifies our intentions
It is the spirit of possibility and positivity
The source of our energy and the web of our dreams
It bathes us in the wisdom of countless aeons
And heals us with the gentle rays of time
Therefore, in our hour of need and season of doubt
Let us be open to the promise of the Earth Spirit
To the hope that rises within us
To the faith that extends beyond us
To the love that gathers around us
Let us welcome the invisible power of the planet
And the indivisible power of the people
Let us be guardians and advocates of our Earth
Even as the Earth nurtures and cares for us
Let our Earth Spirit invocation be a commitment
To live and love in the highest and truest way we know
For the sake of ourselves
For the future of our children
And for the life of our only home, Earth.

Inspired by and dedicated to Juanita Visser. See https://www.earthspirithealing.co.uk/

Wayne Visser © 2019

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Earth, Air, Fire, Water

I am Earth:
Grounded and mounded
And moulded in clay
Secret and shrouded
And hidden from day

Womb am I:
Life is seeded and sprouted
And spread out in green
I am fertile and febrile –
The guardian unseen

I am Air:
Wispy and misty
And swirling in space
Fleeting and flirting
And moving with grace

Breath am I:
Life is shaped and spoken
And scattered in white
I am ethereal, inspiring –
The guardian of flight

I am Water:
Flowing and knowing
And fresh with surprise
Snaking and slaking
And shifting disguise

Thirst am I:
Life is suckled and sated
And swaddled in blue
I am replenishing, forgiving –
The guardian of new

I am Fire:
Burning and yearning
And purging the night
Forging and flashing
And shedding all light

Heat am I:
Life is sparked and stoked
And flame-licked in gold
I am passion, transcendence
The guardian of soul

We are Earth, we are Air
We are Water and Fire
And the mission we share
Is to quench life’s desire

The message we bring
Is the wisdom we keep:
That we four merge to one
In the love that you seek

Wayne Visser © 2013

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Earth Villanelle

Earth needs no saving by you or by me
For nature transcends our will to survive
With branches and roots spread wide on life’s tree

The green of the land, the blue of the sea
The cycle of seasons always revive
Earth needs no saving by you or by me

Progress misleads in the name of the free
For nature is meant to flourish and thrive
With branches and roots spread wide on life’s tree

The shade of the woods, the flow of the streams
The greatest of climbs and deepest of dives
Earth needs no saving by you or by me

We shoot for the stars as far as we see
And remake the world as we search and strive
With branches and roots spread wide on life’s tree

The planet won’t need another decree
Only our passion to keep life alive
Earth needs no saving by you or by me
With branches and roots spread wide on life’s tree

Wayne Visser © 2014

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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Nature Knows

When all the world seems upside down
The fool’s on the hill
The king is a clown
When headline news loud-speaks the views
Of puppeteers of fears
And naysayers of the truth
When leaders’ voices are hollow choices
Of dumb-down beats of tweets
And two-fingers to the youth
Take a step back from the black
And white, the stereotype
The media hype, the Trumptown blues
And choose a world of hues
From greens to greys, and reds to browns
The rounds of seasons, synchro-reasons
Of sun and moon, the tune
Of vitality that sprouts and grows
The harmony, the symphony, the flows
That nature knows

When all the roads seem nowhere bound
The signs contradict
The noise has no sound
When every maze just adds to the craze
Of shallow aims in games
And hamster wheels for jobs
When Wall Street belies, in suits and ties
Their ugly creed of greed
And clever ways to rob
Take a deep breath, defy the death
Of hope, the hangman’s rope
The doomsday dope, the victim’s shoes
And choose a forest of clues
Of roots and shoots
From seeds to stems, and buds to leaves
The trees of jungles, the rumbles
Of beast and storm, the dawn
Of light and flight and lucent bows
The illumination, the revelation, the glows
That nature shows

When all that’s lost can scarce be found
The love swept away
The faith nearly drowned
When silent strings, like broken wings
Leave empty spaces in places
Where music once soared
When prophets’ words sound more absurd
Than the Mad Hatter’s patter
And the Jabberwocky’s chord
Take a great leap, take time to reap
What you have sown, from flesh and bone
From mind clone and idea muse
And choose an earthscape of dos
Not don’ts and won’ts
But cans and wills, and better stills
The thrills of striving, life thriving
Through trial and error, through terror
To yellow dreams and scarlet rose
The magnificence, the intelligence, the prose
That nature knows

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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The Environmentalist

You call me an environmentalist
As if caring for the earth is some kind of cult
And concern for future generations
Is a subversive agenda to be treated with suspicion

Yet it is the earth that sustains us
And a future that we will occupy together
It is the place that all of us call home
And our children who will suffer or succeed

Being green does not make me a monster
Any more than being black or white would
In the end we all bleed the same colour
And when the earth is wounded, it bleeds too

You think I’m a fundamentalist
As if respect for nature is an ideology
And calling for limits to growth and consumption
Is propaganda with no basis in science

Yet it is nature that makes us who we are
And science that sets the conditions for life
It is a finite world that we all live in
And simple maths reveals the inconvenient truth

Being committed does not make me a fanatic
Any more than being a person of faith would
In the end we all believe in something good
And when we believe in nature, it gives back

You say I’m a conservationist
As if saving scarce resources is a bad thing
And giving space for all life to flourish
Is a zero-sum game where humans always lose

Yet it is resources that feed and clothe us
That fuel our homes and health and happiness
It is the web of life that supports us
And greater biodiversity means we thrive too

Being loving does not make me weak
Any more than being a parent or saint would
In the end we all long for compassion
And when we nurture all life, it takes care of us

You call me an environmentalist
I confess that I am, and so much more besides
So call me a humanist and a possible-ist too
For I believe that a better world is possible (do you?)

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky.  Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

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