Hear Mona and her family read ‘Turning the clock back’, and a second version of the poem edited by ChatGPT, ‘Healing earth together’, here:
Turning the clock back
Look around, we see a tired and sickly blue orb,
Have lost all hope.
Green canopies vanishing, few are left to absorb [CO2],
Nature unable to cope.
Flora and fauna all but disappearing,
Smog and plastic smothering our pristine home.
Our species, is it enduring?
Leaving behind a cataclysmic dome.
As we travel through the expanse of the Universe,
With hope of life.
Our planet, we must nurse,
Putting aside our strife.
Rome wasn’t built in a day!
We need to persevere.
Every step of sustainability will pay,
Our lifestyle will be all but austere.
Oh, let us preserve,
Sparse resources.
Future generations deserve,
Their hopes are our forces.
To achieve 1.5 degree!
We have to turn the clock back.
That’s going to be a squeeze,
[But] now is not the time to slack.
Mona also created a second version of the poem by asking ChatGPT to improve it:
Healing earth together (ChatGPT’s version based on Mona Ashok’s poem)
In this weary, sickly state our planet lies,
But hope remains if we open our eyes.
United, we can heal the world,
A new era of care unfurled.
Forests lush and oceans clear,
Bearing witness to the shift we steer.
As humans realize the cost,
Striving to regain what’s lost.
Innovations, great and small,
To rise above, to heed the call.
Harnessing sun, wind, and tide,
A sustainable future we’ll provide.
Together, we’ll plant the seeds,
Of change, to meet Earth’s needs.
And as we journey through the stars,
We’ll heal the wounds and mend the scars.
One step at a time, one heart at a beat,
The Earth’s revival, no small feat.
And as we strive for 1.5 degrees,
Our collective strength will bend the breeze.
For now is not the time to rest,
But rise and challenge, do our best.
To safeguard Earth for generations to come,
A challenge met, a battle won.
Dr Mona Ashok is Associate Professor of Digital Transformation at Henley Business School, University of Reading. After writing her poem, she asked ChatGPT to improve it, and ChatGPT created ‘Healing earth together’. The audio recording was made with her husband Ashok and son Adi.