by Mike Mesterton-Gibbons

“Boris Johnson used to mock ‘eco-doomsters.’ Now he’s a climate champion.”
—The Washington Post

Do as I say and not as I once said:
Old Daily Telegraphs record my sneers
At crusties—which I hope you haven’t read,
Since I’ve now U-turned over climate fears!
In doomsday terms, it’s almost midnight now.
So bike or walk, ride trains, ditch coal, don’t tilt
At windmill power. Eat more vegan chow—
You must unstitch our suffocating quilt
At once, or stand no chance of racing to
Net zero well before it’s far too late! …
Do as I say and not as I can do:
No train can get me to my dinner date
On time. So I will fly—and you will see
That rules I make do not apply to me!