(for Greta Thunberg)
you told them maybe they listened but
did they hear? did it pierce their hearts?
you told them and they felt lava spurting
from a live volcano yet did that matter?
shaking with the fire of pain and outrage
you told them by every cell in your body
some heard the gush of glaciers melting
you told them and others started tasting
rain forest ash blown ten thousand miles
you told them with a voice of dying coral
you told them and this planet shuddered
to its innermost core boulders cracked!
you told them and now all was out there
freed beyond shameful excuses and lies
you told them—just 16 years yet timeless
a witness pure and severe as Antarctica
you told them since that’s why you came
a prophet sent by our childrens’ children
an avatar of Earth’s primordial wisdom
you told them from the brink of disaster
standing alone before the so-called wise
did you budge their needle toward light?
did they begin to wake or discern a clue?
you told them! and it’s all you could do
speaking truth to power from your soul.
I was a co-founder of the original Prospero’s Pit Open Mic, and have done numerous other readings of my poems at various venues in Kansas City for many years. I’m currently a member of The K.C. Mystic Poets Society, which meets in Westport once a month. I’ve published six books of poems, the most recent being Caresses And Wounds from Spartan Press, 2018, Jason Ryberg, editor.
Rusty Truck 