Cs(ea)’ is the first of two pieces of spoken word poetry that I wrote (with music composed by Jack Hinks) about the climate strikes led by the children of Fridays for Future. Today we are facing a climate emergency. People, animals and ecosystems face extinction. We must come together to solve this issue now. The issue is global. We simply cannot handle this individually nor nationally anymore – we need global cooperation. The children have led this rebellion and we must now, as adults, do everything we can to support them and not let them feel that they are holding the Earth on their shoulders alone anymore. It is their future; it is our future. I believe that the Arts are a powerful tool to make people listen and this issue is something that must people must hear if we want to keep living even somewhat normal lives. We owe that to our children and theirs to come. We must all act now. We must let them teach us how to see.

Cs(ea)

The world is ending.  

And no,  

I don’t mean in a metaphorical way,  

or that a meteor is on the way  

to strike us out,  

no aliens are invading Earth,  

no plague is making people eat brains.  

Or wait, 

maybe there is.  

Maybe that plague is something we can’t see.  

Eating our brains.  

Something we must see.  

Maybe we are eating our own brains?  

Something starting with a C.  

Capitalism?  

Consumerism?  

Conservativism?  

Comfortability?  

The world is ending  

because we refuse to see the reality of the Cs.  

 

There is a C in ocean, the sea.  

I admire the sea.  

How a wave can pave  

the road for marine life.  

For our life.  

For the energy of our life,  

yet as a thank you we throw our trash at it.  

Plastic C. 

Now she, the sea, 

is consequently rising to fight back. 

 

While our brains are eaten by laziness,  

stubbornness,  

and unwillingness  

there is one C  

we have to see.  

Change.  

Change to our behaviour.  

Climate change.  

Our selfishness.  

Our self-obsessiveness.  

Our unwillingness  

to change  

because of convenience and because of capital. 

See.  

I like trees.  

The grandness of their branches.  

How they branch out, reaching far.  

Their network.  

Their kindness.  

They literally soak up our flaws -  

carbon dioxide,  

another C.  

Did you know trees share their nutrients  

with other trees that are struggling?  

If only we could try to see that,  

learn from that,  

from nature,  

and share our nutrients,  

our wealth,  

with those struggling  

instead of buying, buying, buying,  

consuming, consuming, consuming,  

more, more, more –  

more is not enough.  

For us.  

But it is for trees.  

There is no C in tree.  

But there is in cut.  

And we’re cutting them down  

to make room for our comfortability,  

our capitalism,  

our consumption.  

If only the plague was consumption.  

There is a cure for that.  

C.  

Let’s cure stupidity.  

People dying is environmentally friendly,  

isn’t it?  

Will that make us see  

we are not in control anymore.  

 

Control.  

That’s a big C. 

We can even control the weather now.  

Did you hear about those artificial rain clouds they use in Dubai to make it rain  

so people will go into the shopping centres? 

Cloud seed. 

That’s exceeding control.  

If only we could do that  

where there is drought,  

where people are suffering,  

where animals are suffering,  

that would literally make us control the climate.  

 

Animals.  

They developed the ability to see for survival.  

So did we,  

originally.  

Yet, we are acting like we are blind.  

Leaving behind those we cannot see.  

While Balou, the bear,  

understands the beauty in bare necessities,  

we do not.  

Hakuna, matata.  

Animal worries were limited  

before we came along.  

 

Extinction.  

There’s a C in that.  

Extinct is what they will be,  

what trees will be,  

what the sea will be,  

what we will be  

if we do not change 

and try to save all beeings 

we will consequently  

compromise our children’s future.  

 

Consequences.  

Capital C. 

Climate change is a consequence of 

cutting down trees,  

of consumerism, 

of capitalism,  

of our comfortability,  

of our conservativism  

and our complete unwillingness to change  

to the extent we need to  

to not compromise our children’s future.  

 

Compromise.  

Another C.  

That’s not so hard, compromise.  

We do it all the time when money is involved.  

Do I buy a car or a computer, 

computer or car,  

both?  

Standard or next-day delivery?  

How about we compromise in the places where it really matters –  

where it affects the bigger picture.  

Cutting down on stuff.  

On consumption.  

To save our children.  

There is a C in children.  

They march for their future.  

Knowing every mile will be worth their while  

and the right path is not always the easiest one.  

There is a C in march.  

Let’s march with them  

and let them teach us how to see.