The following short post is in response to Writing for Wellbeing, an initiative by the University of Liverpool, Literature & Science Hub. The course ran throughout the Covi-19 lockdown period and encouraged people to write in response to 9 different themes. This piece is from a writing prompt about technology and the environment.
A stalwart of the cutlery drawer. A modern-day essential ‘bit of kit’. As I sit here in perfect solitude watching great big clouds float by, dragons, bikes, and pitchforks captured in mirror image over the vast lake, I turn the tool over in my hands.
From Heinz 57 to the ground beneath my feet where the ingredients are sourced. The rich, unmistakably earthy smell fills my nose and throat and transports me back to a time of Land Girls and victory curls and a sense of purpose, a day’s work well done. Propeller planes engine overhead then and now, bring me back to my temporary home under the clouds.
Cutting through the earth the mechanical teeth take a clean and greedy mouthful of soil and grass, crawling with wildlife.
A sod, laden with all the nutrients, goodness, and greens yet it cannot nourish my soul with enough enthusiasm to take a bite.
A can of worms is what I have opened, and now I am no longer hungry.
Kate Reilly James 