13th April 2021 - Rebellion in the Meadow

The meadow at the Ladies’ pond is a good place to read Jay Griffith’s Why Rebel, a collection of essays justifying climate activism. In this oasis within the metropolis, her words about the destruction of nature ring louder.

I read longer than I should, my body temperature dropping despite sensible layers. My hands are cold before I begin undressing to swim. This is not strategic.

In the pond it is still only 9 degrees and the water bites.

All is dark green and brown, sodden in the dull light of a grey sky.

The heron is hunched where the cormorant perched yesterday.

The 3rd lap kindles an internal fire and the sun breaks through the clouds, colouring the murk of the day.

I leave the water feeling warmer than when I got in.

Walking back to the meadow, skin red and impervious to the wind, I notice vivid details. The flicker of ivy leaves on the trunk of a young tree. Dry leaf fragments from last autumn sticking to my wet feet. The rabbit from yesterday, nibbling in the long grass, its coat gleaming in the sun.

It is miraculous that this piece of semi-wilderness persists amongst the brick and concrete of London. A testament to its fierce defenders over the years, and their courage to rebel.