A climate change version of St Francis’ ‘Canticle of the Creatures’

A light-hearted version with a serious message, by Hugh SSF

Most High, omnipotent, good Lord,

to you be ceaseless praise outpoured,

and blessing without measure;

from you alone creation came;

but for its ruin we’re to blame.

My Lord be praised by Brother Sun

who through the void makes light waves run,

giving us solar power.

Help us to use you rather than

our Neighbours Coal and Oil to burn.

From Sister Moon let there be praise,

and from Aunts Galaxies and Stars

that fused life-forming carbon.

Let climate, flood, drought, storm and calm,

and weathers all, repeat the psalm.

Of Cousin Carbon we are told;

he warms the earth from Arctic cold

but causes global warming.

Help us, O Lord, to limit him –

four hundred parts per million.

O Sister Water, we waste you

in factory and flushing loo.

Let’s simplify our lifestyles.

Pray for mother and her daughter

who trudge for hours to find water.

My Lord, be praised by Aunts the Trees

and also by diverse species

in Amazonian forests.

From damage by pollution steer,

protecting all the biosphere.

By Minerals, my Lord, be praised,

Our Uncles mined from underground.

Help us to know their sources.

Teach us, O Lord, who really owns

the metals in our mobile phones.

My Lord be praised by all the poor,

The one – in – eight whom we ignore,*

the billion who are hungry.

May not nine billion suffer dearth

Of food supplied by Mother Earth.

By death, our Sister, praised be

A natural part of life to see

but please, no more extinctions.

But blest be those who do your word

and tread more lightly on the world.

By dinosaurs our Lord was praised,

on Chesil Beach now fossilized,**

a former generation.

Let’s wonder at the long time-scale

while Mother Earth has told her tale.

Most High, omnipotent, good Lord,

to you be ceaseless praise outpoured,

and blessing without measure;

Let every creature thankful be

And serve in great humility.

* According to the IF campaign, one billion out of a total of eight billion on the planet is truly poor.

** Chesil Beach is part of Dorset’s Jurassic coast where the study of fossils began.