bright curiously danced beneath my eyes
new documents and bracketed language1
quick feet pacing the halls
yet somehow I knew this place before
I knew their eyes, I saw their denial
the false solidarity and solutions
wondering if the fabric walls had birthed them
populating the minds of many
Thunderbirds2 boomed, a fire roared
The plastic ceilings and cardboard
went as fast as they were produced,
and the outside came in.
The impermanent build at war
with the soil beneath
a reckoning of all that walked upon her.
Water sprinkled from above
she bellowed a reminder
suits no longer stood on soapboxes,
and we moved as fast as policy decisions
away from the flames
but yet the insistence of momentum
the hands I held
proof that amidst the collapse
the work of the determined endures
the night came,
and the moon hung high
rewritten passages became press
and new alliances emerged
and the sun rose again
eyes full of a new light
the seeing kind
the unwavering hopeful
1 Bracketed language: conditional offer where a party proposes a settlement range
2 Thunderbirds: An Ojibwe traditional spirit – responsible for thunder
___
Gemma Gutierrez is a Youth Advisor to the GoodPower (formally Action for the Climate Emergency) Board and a member of its Youth Advisory Board. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, in a tight-knit Mexican community, she learned early the power of words, connection, and collective action. Her work spans climate justice, civic engagement, and immigrant rights through organizations such as Sunrise, Voces de la Frontera, and CUNY’s Environmental Justice Working Group. From voter mobilization in the 2020 election to research on flooding and urban equity, Gemma is committed to linking climate justice and finance to a broader vision of global liberation.
The post Bright curiously danced beneath my eyes: COP30 reflections appeared first on Climate Generation.