| Society

Not For Her…

A poetography piece dedicated to Greta Thunberg, by photojournalist Julio Etchart.

Not for her…

the idolisation of the selfies

the myth of the influencer

the sound-bytes of highly paid anchors

or the empty promises of so many false prophets.

For she is the real article,

untouched by skepticism

driven by her own deeper challenges

to confront the mediocrity of our world

the patchiness of politicians

and the rapacity of the Davos club

that have plundered the only world we inhabit.

For there is no Planet B

as the banners now announce

to the disbelief of the bystanders

and the astonishment of MPs and senators.

You must panic; for time is short

and we have all been sleepwalking

into our own extinction,

without rebelling or even thinking;

just by persisting in our bankrupt traditions

of self-centred consumerism

masticating our Earth like

there is no tomorrow.

Not for her…

the usual trappings of the age:

cheap flights, recreational evasions,

thoughtless consumption, plastic reveries.

She was not made

for the banal celebrity-led likes

of the screened world of her generation.

Forged instead in an unique incarnation

tempered in plain talk,

visionary thoughts and profound imaginings

informed by mental tests

which she turned into strengths and purpose

Not for her…

the lies of a corrupt system,

the indifference of spineless politicians

and grey men of empty virtues and bulging coffers

who thrive in the senseless destruction

of our future

Not for her…

the itineraries of Boeings or the curriculum of colleges,

for she moves at a slower pace

in a different dimension,

and yet, she has already arrived…

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg © Julio Etchart

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