Letter to a Climate Warrior
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
2023, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Climate Hero: Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, Jo-Jikum
Golden Shovel of “Dear Matafele Peinem” by Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner
There is nothing more beautiful than a poet who uses their hands.
I watch through my computer screen as you stand before the UN, reaching
for an audience that must listen. Time is running out
& it has come down to this—our speeches, our fists,
our public desperation. You are raising
your daughter in a world slowly unmade; giving up
could never be an option. People rally behind banners,
cries for change unfurling
in the wind. Teenagers holding megaphones
flood downtown every Friday & your heart swells with their booming
voices. You speak as Climate Envoy thousands of miles away from home &
return to the Marshalls a community member. We
must listen. Indigenous activists in the Global South are
leading vital movements—building resilient canoes,
educating young organizers, blocking
destructive construction. They suffer from coal
emissions that originate elsewhere while oil tanker ships
leak pollutants. Are we
listening? Because they are. You are.
Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, your art envisions a better future & the
Earth treasures your radiance.
Reflection
As a poet myself, I have been inspired by Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner ever since I first discovered her work on climate change a few years ago. I remember stumbling upon a video of her performing the poem “Dear Matafele Peinem” at the Opening Ceremony of the UN Secretary-General’s 2014 Climate Summit and being deeply moved. I therefore set out writing with the intention of not only uplifting Jetñil-Kijiner’s voice, but also creating new literature to empower young climate organizers. I have always wanted to tackle a Golden Shovel poem and thought this was the perfect opportunity. Pioneered by Terrance Hayes and based on “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, Golden Shovels offer a unique way for poets to communicate with another person’s legacy. Additionally, I hope that my poem draws attention to the often overlooked struggle of activists in the Global South—especially ones living on island nations and especially Indigenous activists. So much of the media coverage surrounding “Climate Heroes” fails to acknowledge those who are left most vulnerable by climate change. I believe that a better world is possible, and people like Jetñil-Kijiner are brave enough to fight for it. We all have something to learn from her.