Patti Smith has shared a poem wishing Greta Thunberg a happy birthday as the environmental activist turns 17.
Taking to Instagram to share her birthday wishes, Smith posted a photograph of Thunberg in a pink jumper accompanied by a short poem.
“This is Greta Thunberg, turning seventeen today, asking for no accolade, no gifts, save we not be neutral,” Smith wrote in her caption. “The Earth knows its kind, just as all deities, just as animals and the healing spring. Happy birthday to Greta, who stood today,
as every Friday, refusing to be neutral.”
See Smith’s post below:
The final lines of Smith’s message (“who stood today, as every Friday, refusing to be neutral) are in reference to Thunberg’s weekly appearances at the ‘Fridays for Future’ protests outside the Swedish parliament.
Choosing not to adjust her routine in order to celebrate her 17th birthday, Thunberg joined other climate activists outside the parliament in Riksdagen in Stockholm today (January 3) for the 72nd consecutive week of the marches.
She tweeted a picture of herself at the march, wrapped up warm in the cold weather and holding her trademark sign reading in Swedish: “School strike for climate.”
School strike week 72.#fridaysforfuture #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate pic.twitter.com/E5epI2bawt
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 3, 2020
Meanwhile, Billie Eilish has spoken out in praise of Greta Thunberg, calling on older generations to take more action against climate change “so we don’t all die”.
Back in October, Patti Smith admitted that reading Mark Twain gave her anxiety and made her throw up.
