Sy's Poems

Hi guys, I realise that my photo-blog had become more of a scrap-blog lately and so have decided to create a new space to post my poems... I've been writing quite a lot lately, on buses, at the Museum, wherever and thought it would we good to have somewhere to save and share these.
http://syspoems.blogspot.co.uk/

BE BRAVE...

For another world...

Floating Words #5

My kingdom is not of this world. I'm not here to rule-over people. My mothers traumatized by my accent, but when I go back to South Africa it's only a matter of time before I get it back my bru! Hey stranger, I’m going to be in December for a play of mine. Any chance you’ll be around?  It would be great to see you. And an Israelite went to collect firewood on Sabbath. I knew you had something, that's why I put you forward.

I got discharged. I got to go Catford. I've come from Springfield. Have you heard the story about the mathematics bridge! So you would be working evenings mainly, 6 or 8pm till 12. It's a great place to work and you get loads of benefits! What will you have? We travelled around the East Coast and the West Coast, my dad's a historian, he's interested in battlefields, and most of them took place in National Parks. The re-enactments were strange. Speed! I'm going back tonight, I'll ring for you before I leave. They're so dedicated, these wildlife photographers! We actually live in London, we're just up here for the day. They both became prophets at the age of fourteen. 

'trees are poems...'

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” 

― Kahlil Gibran

Another Springfield Fugitive

Another Springfield Fugitive

I was sitting in Pret,

one wet and windy day,

in Fulham Broadway.

I was drinking tea

when he came towards me

I'm free, I heard him bellow

this crazed anonymous fellow-

I was discharged
from Springfield

no longer will I wield

to the guardsmen,
in that battlefield

I thought- how strange

was he really rendered free,

or was he just another 

Springfield escapee?

and how strange to cross paths

with another bummer,
another outlaw, another outpatient-
another runner.

Springfield, I asked him,

in Tooting?

I was routing

for him

for some reason
I was routing

for this coffee shop bogeyman

I was sectioned, came his reply.

But why?

Bi-polar.

My time came,

I was set free-

Three chances,

I need to get back

to Catford...

I took some coins

from my pocket

and handed them to him

and he left-

bereft, and grateful
(perhaps).

But by giving him 70p

would I help him to see

the light?

Or would he just scare

the living day-lights

out of ordinary people,

people like you and I

and everyone we know?

No!

Run,

mad one.

Run away from here,

but don't scare

others.

Hmm but maybe,

I should have asked him-

What's in Catford son-
That made you want to run
away? -don't lie.

And why
am I

tasked with you're escape?

Break free-

return, by turning

back now.

But how?

I remembered when

he had killed a man,

another Springfield escapee
who had been 'set free'-

where?

By a herd of deer

in Richmond Park.

I wondered then,

who lent him the money

to get there-

life is funny

but in a sad way.

May

we learn

from our mistakes.

-these silent aches,

may they not break

us. 

Once a friend

on the mend

went into Springfield

she escaped too

they brought her back,
(crack)
 in a police car

-scars were visible

she wanted to take her bones for a run

She did what she thought had to be done!

Without a penny to her name- she escaped,

and traipsed around Tooting Town.

What a strange world!

I know another who went in,
and did not come out the same

she did not remain herself,
she became someone else
a shell of her former self,
undertow-
She became,
someone I didn't know
or recognise. 

So many have walked
through the gates of Springfield-
-shield!
names I cannot name

for they must remain

anonymous.

But I swear,

they were there-
they were all there

and they all come out altered
-and they faltered perhaps

those women and men

in lab-coats
I mean, 

who knows what they did to them, 

help, brand or render them

outcasts.

Out-patients of this world, 

outlast them-

become 

one
someone

you can love. 

These Plans

These Plans

She crams

her notebook

full of plans

for the future

but the future

is forever

out of her hands

because whatever lands

her way

finds a way

of slipping away.

See plans

they mutate

forever

and forever

they frustrate!

Fine.

But this time,

Lord,

I can't afford

to be wrong.

Plans

are made to be broken

but they awaken

within one

ideas that spiral

into the abyss

and whisk

one away

to an unreachable place.

And still, everyday

in extraodinary ways

she finds a way

of living,

joyously

for special people

appear

everywhere

and they 

make life

beautiful...

Cambridge

A friend and I got the train up to Cambridge today. It was great! We went punting, explored the colleges, hung about the town centre and checked out the Museum of Zoology and the Fitzwilliam Museum. Cambridge is such a magical place- the architecture, the history, the stories of people who have come and gone, from Allama Iqbal to William Wordsworth...

To Die Alone

This poem was inspired by an article I read about the mugging and subsequent death of Paula Castle, may she rest in peace. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20425595

To Die Alone

Oh selfish world, so cruel and unkind

I'll be happy to finally be leaving you behind

and maybe I'll find peace where I'm going

for there's none here;
on this cold earth, there's only fear,

for what the days and nights may bring.

I won't cling

to life any more...

He died- my son, my husband too

They left me here alone, it's true.

And alone I have been

and alone I have felt

and alone I have dealt

with the blows life have brung 

and quiet and stoic, I've hung

out my clothes to dry,

along with so many hopes

that had gone awry...

Long ago I stopped speaking to people,

for they don't understand or care

empathy has always been rare.

I never let it show

the slow

agony of a solitary life

I never watched him grow

He never watched me age

I felt so much rage

build inside over the years

how many silent tears

have fallen down these 

weathered cheeks

blinding...

For it's these tears that have made me

partially blind,

and when they pushed me,

to the ground

I couldn't breathe, 

I couldn't see,

I couldn't find

myself.

I was so scared

I heard a young boy,

his voice cold

he told

me to give him my bag

But I didn't have time,

a trick of the mind

I thought

but suddenly, 

with one swift push

I fell and

my head hit the concrete

it was a lowly defeat.

...and as I lay alone, I hissed

Am I going to die like this?

Is this really how it's going to end?

I needed to lend

myself the strength

But I didn't have any left.

The ground was so cold

and I was so old

right there, I watched my life unfold

before me...

And as I lay

shook and afraid

the brightness of the sun,

half blinded this blind soul

Life had taken it's toll.

I leave behind this world. 

I don't know it any more

these streets, these crimes,

what are they all for?

Long ago I tore myself away

from the cruelness of life

I kept myself to myself

but strife

found it's way back to me

and in this cold alley

I lay dying

and silently crying to myself

is this the end?

a prayer...

He Guards the Ocean

Floating Words #4

Floating Words #4

Check it out, the forest has become our cloakroom, our bags and coats are hanging all over the place! Which agency are you with? I'll pass on your message. I'm trying to buy a house, the council is demolishing ours because they're building a train line. I'll be glad when it's over! I've been trying to sort out some jam sessions, I want to get back into my writing. He travelled across the lands, giving up everything he had in his quest for truth. I went to the Gaza protest with your sister. And he said, I was busy in the toils of slavery- here he was, the student of a dying breed of holy bishops, the son of a village leader, now betrayed and sold off as a slave. I've been waiting my whole life for this! Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for him, how lonely he must have felt, Salman Al Farsi, to be lost in translation, to be homesick, to endure the struggles he had to endure for his search for the truth, and look at us. Just look at us now! And the prophet SAW said to him 'free yourself'.

This fire is hypnotizing, I thought I was the only one, but everyone's just staring at it. I have all this pent up rage, and so when I come out here I just let it all out. I went to Butterfly World in St Albans, but it was too nice, it was too proper. Damien Hurst is a bit of an idiot. Behind the Scenes at the Museum of Baked Beans? Get well soon dear. Was it the church? I think the last time I saw you was this time last year. How did your travels go? You've been all over the place lately! It's the best thing I ever did. The tow path is flooded, you might get stuck up ahead. We could go to Dover or Cambridge? It's a beautiful day for a walk. But what were you doing in Sutton? 

The name's Ernest. Sure take some photos. If only I was better dressed right now! It was nice to meet you. Do you have your library card? Let's go to Erith and check out the old pirate ships. I'm going in less than a month can you believe? What are your plans now? I'll be back around June. I'm going to miss you. Well I'm working for Muslim Aid now, in PR. They call me the darkie, even though I'm half-white. You know I feel more like myself when I'm around coloured people. I mean they'll never accept me, even my own family is racist towards me. Oh dear, she said, are you putting on that burka now that we're going out? I might come visit you at Natural History Museum. Let's go for a walk along the Saxon Shore Way, by the Isle of Sheppey. I got an OS map! You were in Kingston and you didn't tell me? We have to search for guidance and that means moving away from the things that keep us from being good people. I mean how many times do we know the truth yet fail to accept it?

To be a Bird

To be a Bird

Days like this

I wish

I was a bird

and unheard

I could fly

across the sky

I wish

I could tear

myself away

from here

not out of fear

but out of sheer

curiosity

and hope

for something good

for something better.

If only I could

fly away

if only light

would shine my way

but alas I remain

a stowaway

For its understood

that people can't be birds

and birds can't be people

but oh how I'd love to

soar like an eagle 

and

scream like a parakeet 

and do you know

how fast cygnets grow

flamingos mostly stand tall

and cranes rarely fall

to the ground

unbound

iridescent wildfowl

shine, 

feathers so fine and

owls stay awake

for the sake

of being

so free.

Oh to be

-to be a bird

and to see

the world from above

to live life like a dove.

On days like this

I wish

I was a bird

You've Got Mail

You've Got Mail

So I was watching You've Got Mail

and thinking about what a fail

that had been in the past

Back then I thought it might last, 

but hey, that's all in the past.

Still, it was nice for while,

to share stories and to beguile

each other with ideas and dreams

ah nothing in life is ever as it seems.

But no matter, for I'm fickle you see

today I like you,

but that's hardly a guarantee

tomorrow I''ll forget

and like a fading silhouette

you'll disappear

and I'll still be here...

I'm fickle you see,

this keeps me free.

This keeps me, me.

Though from time to time

I must admit I find
myself wondering where you are

near or far

and what you're doing

and what you're thinking too.

Yeah, I do 

sometimes I think about you.

But I'm fickle, don't forget

I regret to say 

that I fall in love with 

someone new every day

That isn't love, you're right. 

Nah, that's just some kind of plight. 

I'm fickle, you say

but hey, 

one day...

who knows I might find

one of a kind... 

someone perfectly aligned

to me.

I'm fickle, I regret- 

perhaps it's just cos I haven't met

the right person yet...

Human Kindness

Human Kindness

I was feeling so alone

on the night bus home

and I was feeling so unwell 

so I pressed the bell 

and got off... 

God guide me, I prayed 

I could feel myself fade 

-away. 

But then a stranger spoke to me

her words full of warmth and glory

I healed 

as she sealed 

within me, a sense of comfort. 

God, those words helped me through

-so pure, so true. 

Thank you Lord for human kindness

Thank you Lord for giving me guidance.

Christmas at Oxford Circus

Christmas as Oxford Circus

It is a strange and beautiful thing

to people watch at Oxford Circus

and it is indeed a circus

graced with colourful neon lights

that sparkle so bright

and filled with wildly interesting characters

lion-tamers and tight-rope walkers

beggars and thieves and jugglers and clowns

and fashionista's wearing golden crowns

together evoking from the crowd

frowns and smiles and laughter so loud

on the roads, the traffic builds too

as those red buses travel through

the city at night, 

this circus is forever swarming with life.

and fighting they're way through the streets

the people, searching for material treats
human needs-
they can be so trivial

it's not long before she retreats...

Goodbye Friend

Goodbye Friend

Goodbye friend

this is it, this is the end

of us- 

no fuss, 

for there's no where left 

for it to go-

 you know, 

it's time,

to part ways

you're always, 

so far away- 

I'll stay away 

from you friend

this it is 

this is the end. 

don't send 

me your words

birds- 

fly away

and I don't want to stray

and don't smile

you know, 

for me, you are a trial. 

And speak to me not-

I never forgot, 

don't think I ever did

get rid

of the ideas you

you planted in my head

Well read. 

It was nice to share

our ideas, our fears

and our spheres

of existing. 

But 

friend, this is it 

this is the end.

The Rush Hour Dreamer

                     The Rush Hour Dreamer

The morning sun rises,

over the city of London

one cold November's day,

and you're torn,

from the solitude of sleep

keep

dreaming 

dear

as you switch off your alarm

stay calm

and get ready,

for the day.

You leave

and so do they

and slowly the tube

fills with suits

routes-

intertwined.
Go on, and shine-  

You have a story to share

but you never dare

to look him in the eye

Why?

He does,

He looks

and he yearns

and he learns

from you,

the people

of the city too.

across the platform

you will find him

standing, waiting, 

creating

stories in his mind

you will find

he's always there

amidst the warmth

of the crowd-

the train,

a place to regain
clarity.

Life is fraught
with injury

he thought

every morning-
and every morning

you're throwing it away

sleepwalking from day to day

playing games,

twiddling thumbs

he hums

to himself.

So am I. 

So let us waste 

the days, together 

these tethers chain us 

of social conformity

norms, 

different forms 

of being.
Let us break these bounds
that confound
us.

You saw him

twice, thrice

a million times.

What a strange thing,

rush hour on the tube.

With nowhere to go

 he grows!

He grows and ages

with the changing of paces
and the changing of lines-
black and yellow and blue

and so do you. 

He never misses his train

for his train of thought

departs with it.

The rush hour dreamer

alone, is prone

to outbursts, 

yet- in a crowd
remains unknown...

Hutchinson's Bank Work Day

I went along to a London Wildlife Trust workday at Hutchinson's Bank today after quite a long time. It was great to see some familiar faces and to get involved in practical conservation work again (mainly shrub clearance, small tree felling and wood burning.)

Palestine, Palestine, Palestine...

To Wander Lonely as a Cloud

I decided to go for a long walk today, so I set off under the sun, with no set destination in mind. I ended up getting a bus to Merton Abbey and walked along the River Wandle, past the animal farm and across the tramline to Morden Wetlands, I then followed the path up to Morden Hall Park. 

From Morden I jumped on and off a few random buses, until I finally ended up in Kingston. I started walking again by the River Thames towards Richmond (last time I went the other way towards Hampton Court). It was a beautiful walk! I wandered though Ham Lands Nature Reserve, past Teddington Lock, the towpath was flooded towards Richmond and on the recommendation of a friendly local, I ended up walking towards the town and getting another bus. I had a lovely day, in the company of many birds and insects and trees...and the autumn colours looked striking!

Chahoonga Main Tujhe

Sickly London Sky

Sickly London Sky

thousands of tear-drops
soar from the sickly grey sky

downwards

from such a great height

diffusing its malady 

a heavy sadness

spreads

and a certain madness

threads 

its way into us all

and I can feel it inside-

melancholy

and there's nowhere to hide-

melancholy

for this sinking watery sky 

seeps within-
overcast.

But the clouds will thin

eventually

and dissipate- 

(perhaps wash clean)

and irrigate

growth will follow

but till then 

we must wallow

we must wallow

in this sorrow
-castaway

for today 

the London sky 

is a sickly grey...

Classic Trailers

Harold and Maude

I first saw this film about six or seven years ago and loved it- the quirky characters, the story, the script and the excellent soundtrack...most of all I loved Harold's dark and morbid sense of humour...

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

This is another brilliant film which tells the incredible story of the artist, Daniel Johnston. Def worth the watch.

The Essence of Tooting #1

I recently started working on a new photography project, The Essence of Tooting, which I thought might be quite interesting! Over the next few months, I'll be taking a lot of pictures in and around Tooting, pictures which seek to capture the true essence of the town. By the end of the project I'll hopefully pick out ten of the best and most revealing images and write a short photo-essay on them and on what they say about Tooting. I'm really excited about this project! I think it will be a great way to re-explore the inner most depths of Tooting and maybe make some new friends too! 

So today I stumbled across this very interesting shop in Tooting Market. It was full of African masks, drums, jewellery, crystal vases, minerals and stones, Egyptian relics and all sorts of interesting books about ancient healing, spirituality and faith. I got talking to the owner, a chap named Ernest for a while. He was a really lovely guy and shared a lot of interesting information with me! http://maatfoundationtherapies.com/

Ernest

His Shop

Brian Cook's Landscapes of Britain

I stumbled across this beautiful book yesterday called 'Brian Cook's Landscapes of Britain' at the London Transport Museum shop and decided on a whim to buy it. I'm really glad I did, it's a fantastic little book full of some really stunning images. 

'The illustrations of Brian Cook from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s are iconic. Showcasing British life from the Scottish Islands to London Markets, from Wiltshire farms to the rugged Lake District, this is the most comprehensive collection of his work to date. It features quintessential images of  Britain, it's villages, castles, churches, cottages and countryside, revealing the timeless beauty of the British landscape.' 

Mr Bean at Covent Garden

I came by the wonderful Mr Bean in Covent Garden today...

Oh Pakistan!

Oh Pakistan!

Oh Pakistan!

What have they done to you?

The powers that oppress through

drone attacks and military precision

Let it be known, 

it was never our decision.

Oh Pakistan!

Scars are etched across your land

from the mountainous North

to the Southern arid sands.

You bleed. 

Oh Pakistan!

A nation once so beautiful and so calm

Is now fraught with trouble

Is now ridden with harm.

Let us confess,

Oh Pakistan-

you are a mess!

Oh Pakistan!

A necessity they say

 A necessity that always ends 

the same way

every time,

history bears witness

to all these crimes

against humanity.

The killing field,

stretches. 

Will this pain ever be healed?
concealed-
the scores of dead.

Earth's-

daughters and sisters and mothers

Earth's-

sons and brothers and fathers.

Is one white life

worth a thousand brown?

She asked me one day,

with a frown...

Oh Pakistan!

Oh Pakistan!

We continue to fight

For what is right

For justice, freedom, peace.

For this enduring conflict to cease...

Life on a Lease

Yet another poor excuse for a poem...

Life on a Lease

Most days, life eludes me,

no matter what, I just can't seem to be

in a place that makes sense to me.
Still- I'm young, they say

don't they know

that I'm getting older each day.

And that life is no guarantee;

death waits for no one, you see.

This dream

like a thread in a seam

is slowly coming undone.

Yet, I can't run.

I can't run 

away-

for I must stay away...

from you,

for ten thousand days- 

at least.
Go east! She says.  
How can I? 

So here I am working in this shop
selling toy dino's and coloured rocks. 
She mocks...

...I've done quite a lot?

ten jobs,
nine courses,
eight epiphanies,
seven cities,
six colleges,
five exhibitions,
four countries,
three books,
two souls,
and this-
eternal struggle
to withdraw myself, from myself.

See in these long and lonely years
I've conquered so many of my fears.
Yet so many remain

-the same.  

I've travelled a bit

and like a bird I've flit

from place to place

in somewhat of a daze.
I've walked with the pilgrims

and the peacekeepers.

I've met many angels

and a few grim reapers.

But I'm weary now

So weary now. 

I'm weary of always moving

I'm weary of forever moving

back and forth

from here to there
from crowd to crowd

from place to place

always with this smile

on my face.

See I've searched inside my soul

But there's this hole

and it won't go way.
Sometimes it's so hard

to keep these feelings at bay.

I never know what I'll get,

with this dice I roll.

Now I have this odd job,

then I was on the dole-

for a week.

I seek. 

Yet still I seek.

A cause, a life, a love, a dream.

-realised. 

A dream made true. 

Maybe a few.... 

Yet what I really seek

is this-

Purpose. Meaning. Peace.

For this short life

is on a lease...

The Lamb

The Lamb

I see your face every night

so beautiful and so bright
yet your face grieves me to no end

it brings back memories that won't relent.

Why can't you leave me to myself?

Why do you put me through this hell?
With your beauty and brightness, you blind me.

With your beauty and brightness, you remind me

of who I really am.
You were the lamb.

I was the butcher.

I sacrificed you

-the blood I drew!

In this world, is nothing true?

One Day

One Day

I'm twenty-three now

and I still can't understand how;

I have arrived here.

See time chugs forth like a train

And yet right here is where I remain

in the shadows of my past

-everlast.

All I've ever wanted was to be free

yet by an increasing number of degrees

 on every day and in every way-

I slip further and further and further away.

One day, I pray I'll find my way. 

One day I'll find-

these words still ring in my mind,

as I go further astray...

One day. One day. One day.

I pray-  

One day I'll find my way.

Back to You-

(...and not just for a waylay,
but for the long stay.)  

Tottenham Hale to Waltham Abbey

A friend and I walked about eight miles along the River Lea yesterday from Tottenham Hale to Waltham Abbey. It was a really interesting walk! On our way we passed Tottenham and Rammey Marshes, a bus graveyard, a few derelict sites, some tower blocks, a load of pylons, a couple of locks, a great deal of decorated boats, some quirky signage, one waste plant and one glorious abbey. 

Wildlife wise- we spotted a few jays, some coots, swans, herons and moorhens. We also came by many sheep and muddied horses- and as ever, some interesting characters!

Ye Weird Country....

The End of the World

The End of the World

I had the strangest dream the other night,

I dreamed the world was ending.

Streets were full and nothing seemed right

All about people were fending

off their demons, their regrets and their fears

and the doubts they had collected over many years.

Suitcases fell from the sky with such might.

Some heavy, some weighty and some light,

Tagged with different names and different places.

Departures were nigh- to those allocated spaces.

I fought my way through the crowds,

Searching all around, your voice was so loud!

The sun drew close and the earth grew hot,

So I took my bag and made my way to my rightful spot-

On the plains of Arafat, we were to wait

In hopes of receiving a blessed fate.

I never got to say goodbye

to my comrades, my blood, to the Lord so High

I never got the chance to say sorry,

amidst the chaos and the madness.

The end of the world came

and brought with it an enduring sadness.

I had the strangest dream the other night

I dreamed the world was ending.

I awoke with such a dreadful fright

And realised then, that my souls needs mending.

Shall we...?

Floating Words #3

Floating Words #3

My God, It's been years! I'm working at Boots now- I'm doing my pre-reg in Optometry. It's funny, back home they all think I'm an eye doctor! You wouldn't guess who I saw on the tube- Miss Lecky. And I was thinking about her that very morning. There's this whole segment in my life that I've blocked out. We made it! I could stay stay stay, if that’s what you want want want. I'll see what banana performance ideas we can come up with between us. And he asked me if I was a Northern lass! He's doing his phD, can you believe that! And he's only a year older than me! So what have you been up these last few years? She's working for KMPG. And Al's got a job at Halifax. It was nice seeing you too! Excuse me, how much is this? Do you know where the nearest tube station is? That's where we're going! I can come pick you up on Sunday. I'll drop you off in the morning. She's a solicitor. His CV is so glamorized, he could get a job as a prime minister! 

If you like quaint, you should visit Tenterden. We came here from Dover! I have to lie here on my face all day so that the gas bubble gets absorbed. I can't look up. I can't go out. I can't read. I can't watch TV. I'm doing the monkey rounds again. I just lie down on my face all day. We're so proud of you. And I can't fly until the gas in my eye evaporates. I need petrol! I never used to care what people thought of me. I don't want to fail. I'm going to fail. What if I fail? What if I fail? I'm going to fail. What did you do today? Stay here, don't go back. I'll miss you. I'm reading Night Train to Lisbon, it's so enigmatic. I was up in Northampton- I'm here all week, if I stayed the weekends too, I'd go mad! She's an occupational therapist, most of them are. Jimmy Savile had his own room here, you know. Dinoshop and Dietician- it will never work! 

Please don't get lost! We're looking for it too! Where's the exhibition? Where are the nearest toilets? I can't believe you made me go to Chicken Cottage, I've been here forever and I've never been to Chicken Cottage. I'm going to wait outside. Okay, alright, I'll drive you to the bloody forest! Look at that moon, it is beautiful! Mine are too short. Imagine eternity, doesn't seem that long. They say nothing lasts forever. We'll have to prove them wrong. I also suggested to my brother that he might come and play his sax as an accompaniment - not imagining he would be interested - but he got back asking me for more details -so you never know! What is your relationship is with your Lord, do you pray, where are you in life...

Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you! I'm from Isleworth...from Fulham...from Acton. I keep stepping on the kids. I've been here for a couple years... for a few months...it started off as a summer job...an Easter job... I was only supposed to be here for a while... Aap kya storia lihkty rety ho? Just follow that lady. It's my first day too. She didn't sound okay at all. I can vouch for her. So what are your plans? Any plans? Any plans? Any old bath tubs? Any plans? ...there's a long stretch of old railway and remains of a canal, both great wildlife corridors... I can't believe how much fish pie you consumed! Tea? You meet a lot of people here who you might not normally meet, scientists and biologists and palaeontologists. It's so good to see you! What part of forever, don't you understand? You know, sometimes I wish I was an ape.

It's essence

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012

I got a chance to check out the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in my break today (one of the perks of working at the Museum). It was brilliant! I've had animals on my mind since reading Life of Pi and this just brought some of Yann Martel's marvellous ideas to life! There's just so much we can learn from the creatures we share this Earth with. Here are just a few of my favourite pictures from the exhibition.