Earth Silent HEROES: Bats and Mushrooms (Part 1)

By Ogochukwu Udume

April is National Poetry Month and Ogochukwu wrote some fantastic poetry about how bats and mushrooms are truly silent heroes. Thanks Ogochukwu for your contribution to Ozone (Sierra Club Ontario’s newsletter)! If you’re interested in contributing to Ozone email us at ontario@sierraclub.ca to get in touch about getting published on our website!

Mushrooms

Mushrooms, the silent heroes of the Earth

Invisible to some, yet their value of immeasurable worth

As decomposers, they break down organic matter with ease

Returning nutrients to the soil, helping trees and plants to feed

But that’s not all, for mushrooms also sequester carbon

A crucial task in a world where emissions continue to burden

They capture CO2, reducing its harmful effects on the air

A silent guardian, in the fight against climate change’s despair

Mushrooms are a renewable resource, grown with care

Using agricultural waste, they can produce food without a carbon fare

A sustainable option, with many health benefits to boot

A gift from nature, that we must cherish and not pollute

In forests, in fields, in every corner of the land

Mushrooms play a role, unseen by the human hand.

But their impact on the environment cannot be denied.

For they are a symbol of nature’s balance, and the Earth’s guide