WE ARE DOING IT ALL WRONG

Today I hear of a new rebellion,

Another name, another fancy,

Another chance to stand and shout,

Till too it crumbles, I have no doubt.

Let me show you another way,

To take control, to have your say,

There is no need for arrests or protests,

The action comes with a quiet notice.

No more marching, no more fad,

Let go of the need to hold that flag,

To barricade or march or flout,

None of which shall hold much clout.

Be the change and act within,

Not by the word of some warrior’s whim,

An anonymous saviour playing a game,

This is not the path to victory and fame.

Open your eyes, what do you see?

Seasons are changing, the world it dies,

What food are you eating, what car do you drive?

Your choices are weapons, its time to survive.

Cloaked by a shadow, they can never see,

Or foretell its coming, should you choose to be free,

Knowledge is power and patience breeds wisdom,

Are you ready to save nature’s kingdom?

The fierce growing nettle, or a wilted tasteless leaf,

One born of the wild, the latter in poisoned grief,

Take your pick, this is the beginning,

Let her provide and she will see you winning.

The blankets of weeds that come from the sea,

There is more than enough for both you and me,

Rich with nutrition, ready and waiting,

But don’t wait forever, her grip is abating.

As industry plunders and dries up her blood,

And tears up her skin and protection for mud,

Mycelium destroyed, trees lost to murder,

Will you stand by and support this further?

What do you drink, or smoke, consume and waste?

Where did it come from, and how did it taste?

Feedback holds meaning, know your footprint,

Of choices made, compounding imprint.

No more marches, no more protests,

The change starts here, did you not notice?

Starve the beast and it shall wither,

No more coin to fuel its slither.

Reconnect and hear her calling,

Spread the news, and no more stalling,

Let her in and grow those weeds,

They are the answer, spread their seed.

Let the cities dance in green,

No more smoke, no fumes unseen,

Let her come, and come she will,

Rewarding us with smiles and thrill.

Restoring that, which we have but lost,

A balance of scales tipped at a cost,

Time to abandon a children’s game,

Time to stand and accept our blame.

Make your choices and make them good,

Fertile foundations, a strength understood,

Plant trees whose roots shall bind your resolve,

And then our problems can we truly absolve;

‘Be the change you wish to see…’

By Richard Mawby

Click here for the audio version and interpretation: https://bit.ly/2r0klZQ

PLEASE NOTE: That this poem is not intended to twarte the efforts of those who are making a stand for extinction rebellion. There is a place for that and this poem was written a while ago in a moment of focus upon the other side of the spectrum - of the impact our daily choices can have including what form of transport we use to reach the protests and how what we put in our mouths has an unseen impact on the very thing we are trying to stand up against. See my voice interpretation in the link above to understand this particular perspective.