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Levi Tafari can be viewed performing this poem on the JECH web site at: http://www.jech.com/misc/poems.shtml with children from Windsor Street School in Liverpool, UK. The Editors would like to thank Windsor Street School and National Museums Liverpool (http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk) for their help with the filming of this performance.
It won’t damage the EARTH,
or pollute the sea
it won’t psych your mind
neither poison your body
these words have power
when used properly.
Because
This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY.
Words can be creative
words can sound great
we can use words to instruct
and to communicate,
these words are not destructive
violating a tree.
Because
This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY.
My words take shape
they are organised
they won’t burn the EARTH’S skin
like pesticides
they’re not manufactured using CFCs.
Because
This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY.
Digest these words
feel positive
don’t panic, get stressed
they’re free from additives,
you won’t regurgitate them
like smoke from a factory.
Because
This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY.
These words are SAFE
I can testify
they won’t destroy the OZONE LAYER
beyond the sky,
you can analyse this poem
in a laboratory.
You’ll find
This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY.
Recycle, regenerate
don’t waste energy
conservation of the EARTH
is just a part of they key
and I’ll keep on using these words
well naturally.
You see
This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY.
Acknowledgments
This poem was originally published in Tafari L. Rhyme Don’t Pay. Wirral, UK: Headland Publications, 1993 (available from Headland Publications at 38 York Avenue, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 3JF), and is reproduced in the JECH with the author’s permission.
Supplementary materials
Tafari Poem CollectionThis poem is one of a collection of eight poems by Levi Tafari on environmental health.
A recording (video and audio) of this and three other poems from the collection are available.Files in this Data Supplement:
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