Dear delegates
I stand before you
As an altered man

My eyes and ears have been opened
By the courageous voices
Of those people
Young and old
Who have expressed to the world
Without fear of reprisal
The truth of our shared reality

I am humbled and inspired
By the example
Of Greta Thunberg
Who has campaigned for our future
And our planet
Whilst I
Have chosen to deride and ignore
All those people
That I deemed
To be obstacles
To the achievement
Of my own plans

I am so sorry
I was wrong

You see, I wanted to get
The best for my people
And take what I saw
Was the quickest route
By digging up and burning more coal
And investing in more oil
And starting wars when there was no need
But I was wrong
And I am so sorry

I can now see
That our planet cannot cope
With these activities any more

I can no longer deny
That our forests are burning
And that are species are dying
I can no longer deny
The reefs are failing
And the soil is degrading
I can no longer deny
That our very existence is under threat

I have been so wrong
And I apologise

If you will let me
I would ask
Only to serve you
In a new way
In a way that I hope
Will amend the great wrongs
I have allowed and encouraged

For years
I cannot deny
That I have longed for greatness
And now I see
The only way for me to achieve
Some kind of redemption
And meaningful recognition
Is to give my life
For the sake of others
And our planet

I will use my office
To lead my country
As best I can
Into a new era
In which all life is respected
In which clean and green
Replaces oil and dust
In which the waters run pure again
And the air is alive and fresh

We will give our beautiful planet
The love that it needs
So that we can continue to receive
The nourishment and compassion
It offers to us
As your humble servant
I offer my remaining years
To you