Aelita

                To Greta Thunberg

Those were faces of complacency and gloss -
They gathered at a mountainous Alpine resort
To gaze at us from above and let us know:
Their major task is to arrange our lives below,
So that we shouldn’t disturb them
With such trifles as climate change;
After a hearty doze of prosecco and lobsters,
They‘d love to relax among celebrities,
But how’s that kid got into the room?
She hadn’t been  on the list,
And she’s got a strange look,
  (not even sexy),
Suddenly,  their faces show utter bewilderment:
“Our civilization is being sacrificed
for the opportunity of a very small
number of people to continue making
enormous amounts of money. Such as you.
Our biosphere is being sacrificed
so that rich can live in luxury. It is
the sufferings of the many which pay
for the luxuries of the few. You say
you love your children above all else, and yet
you are stealing their future in front of their eyes.
I have not come here to beg you,world leaders,
to care. You have ignored us in the past
and you will ignore us again.
We have come here to let you know
that change is coming, whether you like it or not.
The real power belongs to the people. 
Is my English OK?”

vip
Aug 2019

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Aelita, the Queen of Mars, is a heroine of Alexei Tolstoy's fiction novel (1924), where she assists in a popular uprising against the ruling elders.