20/12/2025
Poem received from a kind gentleman:
"When the Air Is Taken Too"
At dawn we open windows wide,
to let the daylight through,
but something heavy rides the wind
we never once asked to.
It settles on the washing line,
it clings to doors and walls,
an unseen weight we carry here
while silence answers calls.
When the air is taken too,
what are ordinary people meant to do?
We stand, we speak, we won’t give in,
this ground we love is ours to live in.
No harm, no hate, just asking fair—
leave us our land,
leave us our air.
We raised our children on these roads,
we planted roots and stayed,
not knowing years would pass us by
still promises delayed.
Meetings held and words all said,
reports that gather dust,
while every breath reminds us
that patience breaks before trust.
When the air is taken too,
what are ordinary people meant to do?
We stand, we speak, we won’t give in,
this ground we love is ours to live in.
No harm, no hate, just asking fair—
leave us our land,
leave us our air.
Progress shouldn’t come at cost
of neighbours left to choke,
and livelihoods don’t have to mean
a promise slowly broke.
There’s room for work and dignity,
for solutions that are real—
but only if the voices here
are heard and not concealed.
We’re not against the hands that work,
nor families earning bread,
we’re standing for a simple truth
too long left unsaid:
A home should be a place to breathe,
to rest, to sleep, to care—
not somewhere hope is rationed
with every breath of air.
When the air is taken too,
what are ordinary people meant to do?
We stand together, calm but strong,
this fight has taken far too long.
No harm, no hate—just justice fair—
leave us our homes,
leave us our air.
So hear us now, not in anger’s roar,
but steady as the land we share—
we’re still here, still waiting,
still breathing…
still asking for air.
© Bert Peskens, 2025 — All rights reserved.
