My social media has been a hive of activities these last few weeks: the naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham is organizing a People’s Walk For Wildlife in London, and has asked me to recite ‘Anthropocene’. I call it a ‘poem’ but I’m not sure it is. I feel it would be good to say aloud, to a crowd. I’ve only written a few ‘poems’ in the past, none of which was memorable, but with this one the words spilled out and I kind of’ performed’ them, recorded and shared them on Twitter. Bare upon the earth, we were weightless... Will my generation see the rightful, rising? Lots of people liked it, including Chris. It’s always a surprise to me, that people appreciate what I say and how I share it.
These past weeks I’ve been helping raise awareness for the walk in London by doing videos and Tweeting lots. It’s an exciting prospect: hundreds, if not thousands of people marching on behalf of wildlife. I’m not worried about speaking. I actually find it easier if there are lots of people, because I don’t have to make eye contact and it’s much easier to blur them into a mass. Speaking to smaller groups, that’s a killer: you feel the heat of their gaze, every twitch, each sigh.
So I have an early flight to London with Mum in the morning. I feel bad for flying, we both do, knowing the damage emission do to our world. Ideally, we should be taking a boat and driving to London, or taking the train, but it’s beyond us financially right now, and I can’t get more time off school so soon without getting into trouble. The walk feels like important work, something we should do.
I’ve already got the poem locked in my head now. I know it off by heart. We want birdsong, abundant fluttering, humming, no more poison, destruction. I feel excited. Perhaps it is the right time for me. Tomorrow will be epic.
【小题1】What will the writer do tomorrow according to the text?| A．He will organize an event in London. |
| B．He will recite one of his works in public. |
| C．He will have a nature walk with Chris. |
| D．He will post some poems on Twitter. |
| A．He will speak to a huge crowd. |
| B．He will become famous on Twitter. |
| C．He will share his favorite poems with others. |
| D．He will witness people gathering for nature. |
| A．Why he has to fly to London. | B．Why he doesn’t like taking flights. |
| C．What he wants to do in London. | D．What he contributes to his work. |
| A．He is a talented TV presenter. | B．He is a keen environmentalist. |
| C．He is a popular poet on Twitter. | D．He is a professional public speaker. |
