50 Precious Words for a Precious World

Bogged down by feelings of dread and hopelessness after reading [via the Washington Post] that Ukrainian scientist, Dr. Svitlana Krakovska, attended a meeting to fight against global catastrophe and for "a climate-resilient future" even as her city was being bombed, my thoughts ran along the lines of...

This is just not right.

This is not the world I know.

It's like we're reliving the worst of history while barreling towards dystopia.

I hadn't planned on joining #50PreciousWords this year, but it's how I ended up processing my hopes and fears.

The title is a question I hear from my 6-year-old too many times a day. And I realized that there are so many ways to dissect it:

What?

Can I?

I do?

The answer's in there too: What I do.

Many of us are far from the world of politics and governance, where the biggest moves need to be made. But we all do something for a living. And my hope, as a #kidlit creator, is that through what I do, I get more kids to choose a path that leads to great strides in ecological sustainability.

Dear daughter, if you're listening, here's my 48-word answer to your question:

WHAT CAN I DO?

Bored, she said:

“What can I do?”

Bleak, the world cried,

“What can you?”

Eyes to gray skies,

she asks,

“Can I?”

Hail pelting pavement,

the reply:

“Will you?”

Oceans rise.

“I do.”

Catastrophe

catches its breath.

“Thank you.”

“From here on,

it’s what I’ll do.

... Now you.”