Climate Leadership

Why are you here?  
people ask me
why did you leave
your birth land
and adopt another.


I heard, I tell them,
about America to be a place 
where hard work
discipline
sincerity
creativity
passion
to explore possibilities,
only those things
mattered for success.


Why would America 
be titled a 'land of possibilities’?


I worked hard
for the vision I had
for a verdant
blue watered
world that
nurtured all.


On the way, I learnt 
of brutal history and inequalities,
I also learnt of
a culture
of volunteering,
of rooting for your community,
of sticking out and speaking up
for equality,
and justice.


In time
some lessons got harder
the pain got deeper
the news got darker,
peaking with rallying cry
to ‘make America great again’


Venting outlet for some,
bewildering for many
America was already great 
they said,
for here evolved
Emancipation Proclamation
and more,
proof of leadership
standing up for justice
equality
and equal rights for all.


And yet, 
we just walked out
of a climate deal
like we belong 
in another planet,
we walked out of a partnership
with195 countries
striving
to reach global goals
of responsible living
with justice,
equality for all.


We just said 
we don’t care for you
your climate
your raising water
your energy woes
your crops
your farmers
your people,
as if
our climate
our raising waters
our energy woes
our crops
our people 
were on another planet.


Hope still lives
and thrives in this vast land,
in formal and informal leaders
private, public and non-profits
taking reins of leadership
working harder
on a steeper climb,
for people here and everywhere,
because  climate my friend
is without boarders,
Pittsburg or Paris
it pervades all.

Climate knows 
only one Earth, its many species,
treats all the same,
with water, air and land,
with high winds, high waters
droughts, fires, 
floods, power outages and more..


Strife, war and famine
are no hoax, climate reminds,
in realtime 
we are in this together.


All pervading climate
is a leader by example,
calling on human
ingenuity, curiosity
and leadership
that holds hands
lifts up and moves together.

​
Leadership, like Climate,
is a collective force,
calling for collective good,
so we can 
thrive together.

-By Neeraja, June 01, 2017. Portland.