Roberta Writes – What do you see poetry challenge #poetry #naturechoas

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Painting the Roses Blue

We’re painting the roses blue Note 1

Not with brushes and oils

But with genetic engineering

Rushing in, where angels fear to tread

Transgressing the laws of nature

Haldane’s Rule nonchalantly disregarded Note 2

The consequences of hybridisation ignored

With deliberate, well-thought-out steps

We’ve ‘agriculturised’ grain crops Note 3

Financial gain for few ensuring they’re seedless

While recklessly spreading our own seed

Ensuring endless hungrily waiting mouths

Perfect setting for a ‘Day of the Triffids’ reality show Note 4

Note 1 – We’re painting the roses blue is a twisting of the song from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Painting the roses red didn’t have a good outcome for these ‘card people’.

Note 2 – Haldane’s rule is important because it talks to the preferential sterility or inviability of hybrids of the heterogametic (XY) sex. The rule states that if one sex is ‘absent, rare or sterile’ in a hybrid population, then that sex will be heterogametic (the sex which has sex chromosomes that differ in morphology – in humans, the heterogametic sex is the male sex where the gamete’s sex chromosomes are X and Y).

Note 3 – I know that agriculturised is not a recognised word – wink! – I made it up.

Note 4 – The Day of the Triffids is a 1951 post-apocalyptic novel by John Wyndham. The novel centres around an aggressive species of plant, ‘breed’ by humans, which starts killing people following a natural disaster which leaves most of the world’s population blind. The novel is a pessimistic view of evolution and natural selection, where mankind is no longer adapted to survival, and the upper hand passes to the triffids.

This poem is for Sadje’s What do you see #237 poetry challenge. You can join in here: https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2024/05/06/what-do-you-see-237-may-6-2024/

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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57 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – What do you see poetry challenge #poetry #naturechoas”

  7. Interesting take, Robbie. I’d read about the blue roses.

    I don’t remember that Alice in Wonderland song and scene. I guess my kids didn’t watch this movie very often–it’s certainly colorful! 🙂

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  10. Your poem is a keen warning. And what great references you included in the beginning and end. Here’s hoping we don’t see a “Day of the Triffids” in real life.

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  14. I share you concern about hybridization of roses, Robbie! There are problems associated with this activity: disease resistance, colour stability, fragrance retention, and overall plant vigor. I read that hybrids may also exhibit weaker root systems, making them more susceptible to environmental stressors and requiring extra care and maintenance.

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    1. It is the nature of certain humans to make leaps forward. Some people with high intellects are fascinated by achieving the so called impossible. It is the people who pay the R&D people who are nefarious about the use of these inventions. But greed is another aspect of humanity.

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  21. A very mindful post and poem, Robbie.

    It’s funny… For the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen so much serendipity in the blog-verse, with the random things that are on our minds. You brought “Wonderland” into this post, and I’ve been gradually working on a short story for the past two weeks that is related to it. Ha! I even considered recording White Rabbit (karaoke) for my post. You and the rest of the world (and your ears) can be thankful that I changed my mind about that part! Hugs.

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