Be fruitful and multiply

That’s a natural thing tae dee

But it’s hard fan empty, disused land

Is a that people see –

‘A block of flats is needed there’

‘A shop or office too’,

An the bonnie green an wild place

Becomes a thing that aince we knew.

 

If I could but show tae ye

The life in one square fit,

The variety o plants that graw

An sae easily tak root –

Far ever they are given room

An freedom for tae grow –

A world o life an colour that

Maist people niver know.

 

Hiv y ever seen the cities, streets

O the insects a aroon?

The leaves they are maternity wards,

O eggs, larvae, cocoons,

This hidden life we niver see

But the birds and beasties do.

For this their staple diet,

Alang wi seed and floor heids too

 

 

D’y ken far a yer veg comes fae?

And fa maks yer fruit sae fine?

Weel the birds an beasties tak the praise

– fertilisin a the time

As they flee aboot fae floor tae floor

Pollinatin a the wye

For centuries they’ve fermed wi sense

Wioot haein tae reason why!

 

O Aiberdeen sae clean, sae green

A wild field is oot –

Sae strimmers and cutters raze the grun

For the craturs it’s a rout.

A city wi a few trees left

But nae wild plants atween,

Is jist an empty barren land

Nae wildlife tae be seen.

 

So see the soil on fit you stand

Shared wi craturs, plants an a

Look tae plant fit’s good for them

An let some wild floors graw

An fan y see a mushroom

Ken yir deein a guid thing

Unnerneath the grun, a network’s there

– a fungi nutrient train J

 

Grace Banks © 2000