Branson Hears the Who? A Climate Change Poem With Thanks to Sir Richard Branson and the Great Dr. Seuss

In the heat of the day, with the very best crew, Sir Branson was flying quite far from the ground, enjoying the view of our planet so blue, when he heard a distinct, but a very small sound...

Sir Branson looked down. He looked toward the sound,
"That's funny," he thought, "There's no one around."

Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
As if some tiny voices were calling for help.

He looked and he looked, and could see nothing there
But some specks far below his great plane in the air.

He ordered his pilot down toward the Pacific
And the specs that he saw became more specific:

The small island nations soon came into view:
Fiji, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Nauru,

Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and more
The Solomon Islands, Tonga, so small they're all shore,

Tuvalu and Vanuatu appeared to his eye
It was suddenly clear the dear source of the cry:
The islanders were crying that they soon might die!

With the ocean warming and rising each year,
They fear that the end of their islands is near!

Sir Branson knew that this just isn't right
He's powerful, kind and what's more, he's a knight.

He held the small hand of the smallest young lad
"We must prove climate change is not just a fad!"

Sir Branson climbed with the lad up the Tuvalu Tower
"This," cried Sir Branson, "is our world's darkest hour!"

"The time for all folks who have blood that is red
To come to the aid of our planet!" He said,

"We've got to make noises in greater amounts!
So open your mouth lad, for every voice counts!"

Thus the world heard the lad and the plight of his nation,
And people took note, even those on vacation.

From installing solar, to using less gas,
Folks 'round the world responded en masse!

For the small island boy was the coal mine's canary
And showed the whole word: climate change is real scary!