by Kennedy Graham
We never really gave up on each other, Therese and I.
I came ‘home’ early the other night – at 11.30 p.m. I sidled to the bathroom for my nocturnal peripheral pass by her bedroom. The light was on under her door. I hesitated, and moved on. This would have been our first ‘face-to-face’. And there are limits. I went to my bed.
We tried to meet. We e-mailed each other. I advanced a proposition. Thursday and Friday, I said, would be marginally freer since the MPs, members of GLOBE, would not be at the conference site but meeting in town, following proceedings live-streamed. Wonderful, she shot back. How exciting! It will be like Xmas, she will actually get to meet her house-guest.
The excitement was shared.
Friday morning came. A tough one. I had been following the plenary into Thursday night, waiting for speeches from the US and China, and later, New Zealand. Proceedings were tracking 3 hours late and due to wind up at 5.00 a.m. Now it was heading for 1.00 a.m. and speakers were getting a bit turgid. When the US and China inexplicably did not appear in the queue for their speeches, and New Zealand would not be till after 3.00, I call it quits and plunge outside into the cold, knowing that the metro for my last leg is already closed. I would stay, but I have a 30-hour flight coming up soon.
So, Friday morning, I am downtown and meet up with Jeanette and Rick. We meet with other Greens – from Ireland and also the Canadian leader. That is 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
I am to meet Therese at 1.15 p.m. We are to meet in the foyer of the Plaza Hotel. It is a splendidly elegant old hotel close to Kobenhavns H station. The foyer has thick carpet and dark wood surroundings, with a hushed atmosphere and pleasant efficient reception staff. It is not what I have become used to in my Copenhagen week, which has been considerably more austere. But I know it because I had occasion to meet a colleague there and it was close to the station. It would be an upbeat ambience to meet Therese. And there is an elegant café that is adjacent to the foyer and part of the hotel.
It is important to be elegant for Therese. I select my light blue tie for aging elegance, and plunge, yet again, into the cold. It is, I learn, minus 9 Celsius. Fine.
It is approaching midday and we Greens are ensconced in Green-talk. My blackberry hums. A new message, one of the hundred or so I get each day, has arrived. It is wise to read them immediately. It is from Therese. Dear Ken, it says. I have just gotten the news that a very close friend of mine has been fired. Therefore I unfortunately have to cancel today’s lunch with you. See you at home, hopefully before you leave.
I send a reply. Therese, que sera, sera.
I doubt I shall see Therese. Not this time. Not at the Copenhagen Climate Conference of 2009. Perhaps, perhaps not. Anyway, as she would say, ha, ha, ha.
Bye Therese. Thanks for everything.
Published in Environment & Resource Management | Featured | Society & Culture by Kennedy Graham on Sat, December 19th, 2009
Tags: climate change, cop15, copenhagen, Kennedy Graham
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
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From a random member of the public: thank you. On behalf of myself and my two young daughters, thank you for your stirling efforts at Copenhagen.
I see a lot of despair at the final results, but I also realise that it ain’t over. We go on.
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Mark. Meet Mr Wendal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E_kIN2Z4Lo
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Ah Fly; Well I did a deal with Slingshot to get free Internet….what they didn’t say was they’d be cutting the speed by half – cute hey?
Means I can’t watch Mr Wendel – you may have to use your considerable descriptive powers if I NEED to know….hope you’re doing well there.
There’s been plenty of the “F” sound round here lately – 77% vote against a name change, and the Nats, along with their honky mofo friends, change the name. (Sorry Pita – long as you keep Mr Hate in your Party – I’m gonna use a bit of pro-active Free Speech myself !)
Are these Guys gonna get unelected or what? – they’ll make Helen’s Crash look like a near miss!
Gird thy Loins Greens, the Government is intent on toppling itself!
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How say the conference didn’t achieve miracles.
On the day it finished, the UK and the US are buried in snow!
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Mark – half speed doubles time for composition, I guess.
Mr Wendal – it’s an audio file with a static image but no matter, here are the lyrics but they’ll be stilted without the tune. (It’s something I used to listen to, no great shakes but … maybe you’ll empathise)
ps. My loins are gird, real gird!
Here, have a dollar,
in fact no brotherman here, have two
Two dollars means a snack for me,
but it means a big deal to you
Be strong, serve God only,
know that if you do, beautiful heaven awaits
That’s the poem I wrote for the first time
I saw a man with no clothes, no money, no plate
Mr.Wendal, that’s his name,
no one ever knew his name cause he’s a no-one
Never thought twice about spending on a ol’ bum,
until I had the chance to really get to know one
Now that I know him, to give him money isn’t charity
He gives me some knowledge, I buy him some shoes
And to think blacks spend all that money on big colleges,
still most of y’all come out confused
[CHORUS:] Go ahead, Mr.Wendal (2x)
Mr.Wendal has freedom,
a free that you and I think is dumb
Free to be without the worries of a quick to diss society
for Mr.Wendal’s a bum
His only worries are sickness
and an occasional harassment by the police and their chase
Uncivilized we call him,
but I just saw him eat off the food we waste
Civilization, are we really civilized, yes or no ?
Who are we to judge ?
When thousands of innocent men could be brutally enslaved
and killed over a racist grudge
Mr.Wendal has tried to warn us about our ways
but we don’t hear him talk
Is it his fault when we’ve gone too far,
and we got too far, cause on him we walk
Mr.Wendal, a man, a human in flesh,
but not by law
I feed you dignity to stand with pride,
realize that all in all you stand tall
Mr.Wendal, yeah yeah yeah, Lord, Mr.Wendal
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