healingwords: poetry for the soul

This poem has a special meaning for me. I moved to the village of Parcent in the Alicante province of Spain in 1990. The ‘Carrascal’ sierra with the climb up to the ‘Coll de Rates’ dominates the village. It is visible at every turn of the winding village streets and the view I wake up to every morning. I wrote this poem in 2006 when my time for poetry was taken over by politics. The countryside of Parcent was under threat by 3 massive building projects which would have led to the hillsides being covered with new houses. I became President of the campaign to stop the building ‘Veins de Parcent’, which received support from all over Spain and an unforgettable visit from the European Parliament's petitions committee, whose support is an example of the important role of the EU in protecting our environment.  In 2007 I stood with others in elections for the local council and became a councillor, a role I still hold. The building plans were finally turned down by the Valencian r...