When the TV presenter said countries were drowning 
              and lives were being washed away, 

 all due to climate change and it was our fault, 
              we turned our thermostat down, 

drove less and stopped buying goods sealed in plastic. 
              When countries abroad 

became landfill sites for our packaging and children 
              were picking through our rubbish, 

to salvage and sell, we shopped less. 
              But when the Government broke 

election promises to leave gas and oil 
             under the earth, 

we bought flares and a dinghy
              before the sea flowed beneath our doors.

Cover photo credit: Polly Pullar

Owen Gallagher

Owen Gallagher was born of Irish parents in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. He lives in London and worked as a primary teacher. His current collection Clydebuilt, Smokestack Books, was short-listed for the Scottish Poetry Book of the Year 2021. The Lonesome Cowboys will be published by Salmon Poetry, Ireland, in Summer, 2025.

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