He sought it here, he sought it there—
the poor man’s shy barometer.
Am I in heaven or am I in hell?
he asked the Scarlet Pimpernel.
He knew there was a chance of showers
whenever it closed and hid its flowers,
or would it stay dry and will it be bright?
Yes, said its petals, opening wide—
not long to close, foretelling rain,
then forecasting sun and open again—
but did it ever prophesy
an end to balance by and by?
. . .
He bulldozed here, he butchered there—
the rich man wasted everywhere.
Is it in heaven or is it in hell?
The dwindling Scarlet Pimpernel.
Wiped out by weeks of cloudless skies,
the poor man’s crop just wilts and dies,
and then it rains day after day
and washes everything away.
So seek it here and seek it there—
seek nature’s wisdom everywhere.
Are we in heaven or are we in hell?
Please—ask the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Clare Bryden “Ask the Scarlet Pimpernel”, Poets for Science, Global Gallery, 11 July 2025, online.