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Special N.02 – Poets speak up to Adani

ADANI Be Gone. ADANI Move on!  

by E A Gleeson

 

Sure its old, years old- about 20 million,

but it’s not as cold as we would wish

or as its creatures need, but still it’s home

to 1500 species of fish

its where dugongs and whales and dolphins roam

and yes, it’s huge, this pulsating place

clearly visible from outer space.

 

Don’t touch the reef where these creatures live,

It’s not yours to have, not ours to give.

So get back, right back, right now, we won’t allow

you to wreck what is here. No way, no how.

 

You reckon you won’t crack but you hate the flak.

You want us to refrain from stopping your gain

which is not going to happen ‘cause reaction

is gaining traction. As you ramp up the benefits

listen to the clapping and the rapping of the population

determined to stop this devastation.

 

As you use your weapon to promise and threaten,

see the Aussies moving in on the politicians.

By your own admissions their likelihood of re-election

is lessening by the insurrection of Mums and Dads

and a squillion people who have had enough.

Fearing for grandchildren whose lives will be rougher

as banks and governments make it tougher

to get a house or pay for basic stuff.

 

So what’s your beef?

You want to rip out the coal so you get richer.

You’re not worried about climate change

or losing the reef.

You don’t care about dumping all your waste,

you’re happy to let the ground water drain

and leave a chain of voids and a land defaced.

 

You mightn’t care what happens at Galilee.

Well I’ve got a beef that matters to me.

We want this place to always be. Get away

from our land, our reef, get away from greed.

 

This living, giving plot is not yours or mine

to have or debase. Find another spot to squat

The world is already too hot, so stop the rot

and get off our kids’ plot. Find another place

where parents don’t care

about the quality of soil and water and air.

 

And if you can’t, then maybe rethink

your plan, and start to see

the value in protecting eco-diversity.

As a nation then, we can hasten

to protect the uniqueness of the Galilee Basin.

 

Apart from anything else, we’re not as stupid

as you might need to feed your greed.

We won’t be lending money from the public purse.

We won’t be creating our own country’s curse.

 

Don’t expect us to fund our destruction.

You might be depending on political corruption,

but the people are not as foolish as you might think.

We’re taking this campaign to the brink.

 

Adani take a giant leap cause we’re going to keep

these sacred places for our kids to reap

joy in connection with this land they inherit.

Investors might measure wealth in credit and debit

but our country’s value is held in health and harmony.

 

We work against adversity by treasuring our diversity

and recognising finite resources for what they are.

So Adani take a hint from the Fulani and just move on.

Move on Adani. Be gone Adani. The people have spoken

They won’t be broken. Adani move on. Adani be gone.

Published: August 2022
E A Gleeson

is a Poet and Funeral Director who lives and works in the South-West of Victoria. She has published three collections of poetry, In between the DancingMaisie and The Black Cat Band and Small Acts of Purpose.

An Australian and international
journal of ecopoetry and ecopoetics.

Plumwood Mountain Journal is created on the unceded lands of the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to elders past, present and future. We also acknowledge all traditional custodians of the lands this journal reaches.

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