A found poem created from the text of the Green New Deal by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and In Catastrophic Times by Isabelle Stengers.
the earth was not ours we have chosen Gaia’s intrusion we, the probable protagonists suspended in time inheritors of history, of destruction catastrophic collapse bearers of a compass separated from truth truth, that disturbs a world become spectacle rhythm of news wheels of fascination dreams of the rich freed predator panic on the markets progress defined as growth criminal growth hunting the unemployed the unhoused, millions sacrificed at the altar of growth a point of departure an era come to an end another history begun stop, prevent, repair oppression of indigenous, of color of migrants, of workers of us this war requires all reclaim, relearn abstract possibility collective culpability public ownership, community-defined universal access to nature to justice, equity, economic security take root again, in soil call it joy joy is to act, to think, to imagine together joy, an epidemic shatter fabrications, atom by atom build resiliency, fair and just detoxify the narratives the air, the water however small, it matters to appease Gaia, imagine a future, radical and daring
A found poem is a form of word collage. It allows us to put various works of literature, whether fiction or nonfiction, in dialogue with each other. It’s a way of understanding and processing the meaning of what we read and consume, in addition to creating new narratives and meaning. This found poem compares the ideas presented in the Green New Deal, a legislation, and Isabelle Stengers’ philosophical contemplations about climate and unregulated economic growth. Stengers speaks in favor of socialism and believes that many of the destructions we’re currently facing are a result of capitalism. Likewise, Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal is described by some as a socialist agenda. Stengers describes politicians as our guardians who keep us complacent and convince us to accept systemic injustices. However, Ocasio-Cortez is speaking out against the kind of complacency Stenger denounces. The Green New Deal attempts to put into practice many of Stenger’s theories. One thing to keep in mind is that though both Stengers and Ocasio-Cortez are critical of the unregulated economic growth and systemic injustices that resulted from decades of capitalism, they’re not opposing growth itself. Stengers is not advocating for degrowth. Similarly, job creation and economic prosperity are at the center of the Green New Deal. What Stengers and Ocasio-Cortez are advocating for is growth that is reflective, sustainable, fair, and just; growth that empowers everyone and gives them agency rather than to put power and control in the hands of a few.
