Six old white men sit down in a restaurant
Getting together congratulating themselves
And I am one of them at the table
Eating fancy food with fancy prices.
Three of us founded a software company
Sold last year for a pretty price
After many long years building it up
And the other three acted as advisors.
The menu is replete with exotic dishes
I need to lookup to know what’s in them
But the conversation is quite mundane
Males talking about sports and favorite teams.
My body is there but my mind is elsewhere
Downtown at the concurrent climate crisis protest
Where so many youth especially women have mobilized
Demanding urgent action to save the planet.
I saw them on the train going to the city along with me
Carrying their signs expressing their impatience
Anticipating the energy of the massive crowd gathering
Demonstrating for a radical system revamp.
Our little private gathering celebrates success in business
And no one points out the faults of capitalism
Denying global warming while polluting for profit
Ignoring the obvious, minimizing the impact.
I say nothing to try to convince them otherwise
Knowing the material basis for their indifference
As if they would let go of their privileged lives
For a cause that touches common people the most.
And am I any better as I sit there eating
Being mostly uninvolved, a bystander commenting
Going about my usual daily routine, retired
Hoping the next generation will make real change.
I must make the effort to be with those activists
To join with the many marching in the streets
Organizing to put people and life on earth first
To take back the stolen future of our world.
