Mycoremediation measured

Jane Flint Bridgewater

Oysters after wildfires -
mycelium laced wattle
channels toxic waste in Sonoma,
creating nutrients;

spiralling plastic mountains in oceans - 
landfill aspergillus tubigensis in Islamabad 
breaks down polyester polyurethane
within just months;

oil spill slicks -
bioleaching fungi
imbibe heavy metals
from contaminated water.

Speed up growth -
sawdust and soybean hulls
substrates to expedite
fungi magic:

mushroom metropolis -
bricks stronger than concrete,
boats, breeches, boards and boxes,
vertical farms for food;

magic medicine -
penicillin, cyclosporine,
psilocybin, taxol, vaccines -
and yet largely unknown

fairy kingdom for discovery.

The Science

Mycoremediation uses fungi-based restorative methods to decontaminate the environment. This poem was inspired by a newspaper report entitled ‘Magic Mushrooms’, at a time when poetry and public attention has been encouraged to examine themes allied to planet survival. Sonoma County, after the Californian wildfires of 2017, was unique in using mycelium threads of oyster mushrooms to line 56 miles of straw tubing, which then digested toxic waste and converted it to nutrients.

The Poet

Jane Flint Bridgewater writes poetry in her retirement from Cardiology practice in the West Midlands, UK.  A practised reciter with Poetry Society medals in her youth, she has shown a Humanities interest in her holistic approach to medical practice, championing patient empowerment, prevention and rehabilitation, and women’s heart health.  Her poetry has focused on life experience, family, and nature, reflecting her lifelong interest in both science and the arts.

Next poem: Opposing truths by Diego A. Quiñones