Corinna Board
When it’s done,
when we’ve reached the point of no return
and it’s too late to save ourselves.
When all that’s left are lists
of scientific names – plants and trees,
creatures we’ll never see again.
When even those are lost:
the books and hard-drives, digital archives,
photos uploaded to the cloud.
When cloudless days
are rhythmed only by the search
for shelter from the sun
what will we mourn?
The half-remembered names of seasons,
the empty space left by a bird,
a hundred different words for snow?
Corinna Board teaches English as an additional language in Oxford. She grew up on a farm, and her writing is often inspired by the rural environment. Her work has appeared in various journals, and she was recently commended in the Verve Eco-poetry competition. Arboreal, her debut pamphlet, was published in January 2024. Find her on Instagram @parole_de_reveuse or X/Twitter @CorinnaBoard.
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