somewhere in a city lost deep in january
hard clanging civilization blanketed in soft silent snow
a deep-pile white carpet that urges all creatures to hibernate
to stay indoors
wrap up warm
hunker down and conserve energy
for food and running water are hard to come by
and survival cannot be taken for granted
all other concerns are mere frivolity
dangerous folly in fact
folly among the holly
foxes and badgers sleep deep in their burrows
butterflies lie dormant in tight crevices
little birds huddle together in their flocks
relying on their autumn fat
yet one species tries to ignore the elements
priding itself on maintaining busyness as usual
its upper lip stiffly curled against what Nature can throw at it
for it must worship its false gods
it must bow down
at the twin altars of Progress and Growth
that shall not be served by gentle hibernation
and so the wheels of industry grind on
the factories clang and grunt
the boilers and heaters are cranked up to maximum
the snow ploughs judder into action
the gritters show true grita million vehicles take to the streets
to do battle with the dirty freezing slush
their rush and roar pierces the air
so callously they violate the elemental serenity
some won't make it home tonight
emergency services emerge and are severely stretched
desperate downtown shop-owners pedal their wears
read all about it - 'retail therapy the new viagra!'
thoughts turn to summer holidays abroad
or last-minute bargains on an easy jet
a million phones beep out a million text messages
a million televisions blare out a cacophany of infotainment
a million red tops divulge jordan's latest conquest
or conquistador
a million office monitors silently hold their gaze
a million pcs compute trillions of digits
the whole shebang grinds determinedly on
the icebreaker pushes unhesitatingly forward
on automatic pilot
regardless
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