Athens: a poetry performance tonight as part of ecoartlab's "Climate Change: Conveying Realities"

from "Living life large"  / Mark Bromberg

While words are still written down and spoken

from stages and street-corners 
                 that speak truth to power

  there's money in the bank 

but business says it's not enough                                                                                    

there's money in the halls of Congress

but business says it's not enough

there's money in the media

but business says it's still not enough

America only gets more

it never seems to get enough

more back-room profit making 
               is not enough

  more global warming is not enough

Jumping Jack Frack telling the American people 
              it's a gas, gas, gas

but slow-motion environmental ruin 
               is still not enough 

more scientific research 
               exposing the reality of climate change

is definitely not enough

America never seems to get enough

it only gets more

more shouting in the media 
                 and more manipulation

more anonymous comments left on websites 
                  telling people to STFU

more anonymous political money 
                  from corporations 

that now have the rights of citizens 
                  is never enough

America only gets more

the country never seems to get enough

of buying power with money 
              in the halls of Congress

of bribing watchdog groups 
              with lobbyist donations

of politicians telling voters only 
             what they want to hear 

and not what they need to know

Enough never seems to be enough 
in a country that always has too much

living life large never seems to be enough

The country always wants more 

but it already has too much

This super-sized country 
                         still gets what it wants

and still never gets enough 
        of what it needs . . .

Tonight at 8 p.m., a poetry presentation will be held in conjunction with "Climate Change: Conveying Realities," the continuing ecoartlab exhibit at The Bottleworks in downtown Athens. Tonight's reading of invited poets features Word of Mouth regulars Aralee Strange and Michelle Castleberry, and UGA’s Ed Pavlic. The Bottleworks is located at 297 Prince Avenue and the entrance to ecoartlab is in the back courtyard. Doors for the poetry reading open at 7 p.m.

"Climate Change: Conveying Realities," the mixed-media exhibit curated by University of Georgia professor Chris Cuomo, is on display through April 27.