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Yes, I Was There |
Yes, I was there when the first wind turbines were built upon the land.
Some thought them ugly, and some thought them grand.
The turbines worked steadily, by day and by night,
Keeping the lights on, steady and bright.
Yes, I was there when the first wind turbines were built out at sea,
Catching the wind to make power for you and for me.
The turbines worked steadily, by night and by day,
Powering new factories, along the shore of the bay.
Yes, I was there when people from China visited our town.
They studied our factories, upstairs and down,
They studied our schools, downstairs and up.
Now we work together, coffee in a mug and tea in a cup.
Yes, I was there when my children in school gradually learned
That for which we older folks, since ancient times, have yearned:
How to share the wind with Russia and Peru,
How to share the wind with Kalamazoo, and Timbuktu.
Yes, I was there when we learned to build a global grid,
Bringing power to every kid.
And as we built our growing network of cables, bringing power,
Something else, something good, something quiet, began to flower.
Yes, I was there when that growing network included schools,
Scattered among all countries like democratic jewels.
The kids in Scotland and the kids in Greece
Were building a new world, with a network of turbines and a network of peace.
We don't have time, they said, for any more war.
Your smoke and your stench we think is a bore.
Together we study, together we learn, together we build, and together we pray,
Yes, we pray with deep gratitude (each to his own) that we finally got to this day,
When kids from your town and kids from mine,
Even kids from five to nine,
Learn first to catch the wind, and then to share.
Yes, oh yes, I was there!
John Slade
Woodgate International
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