The bottom of the sea has come   

And builded in my noiseless room   

The fishes’ and the mermaids’ home,

 

Whose it is most, most hell to be   

Out of the heavy-hanging sea

And in the thin, thin changeable air

 

Or unroom sleep some other where;   

But play their coral violins   

Where waters most lock music in:

 

The bottom of my room, the sea.

Full of voiceless curtaindeep

There mermaid somnambules come sleep   

Where fluted half-lights show the way,

 

And there, there lost orchestras play   

And down the many quarterlights come   

To the dim mirth of my aquadrome:   

The bottom of my sea, the room.

 

 

 

I hear your voice on the wind 

And I hear you call out my name 

 

"Listen, my child," you say to me 

"I am the voice of your history 

Be not afraid, come follow me 

Answer my call, and I'll set you free"

 

I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain

I am the voice of your hunger and pain 

I am the voice that always is calling you 

I am the voice, I will remain 

 

I am the voice in the fields when the summer's gone 

The dance of the leaves when the autumn winds blow 

Ne'er do I sleep throughout all the cold winter long 

I am the force that in springtime will grow 

 

I am the voice of the past that will always be 

Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields 

I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace 

Bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal 

 

I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain 

I am the voice of your hunger and pain 

I am the voice that always is calling you 

I am the voice 

 

I am the voice of the past that will always be 

I am the voice of your hunger and pain 

I am the voice of the future 

I am the voice, I am the voice 

I am the voice, I am the voice

 

 

 

If there is sincere interest in making COP28 a historic event that honours and ennobles us as human beings, then one can only hope for binding forms of energy transition that meet three conditions: that they be efficient, obligatory and readily monitored. This, in order to achieve the beginning of a new process marked by three requirements: that it be drastic, intense and count on the commitment of all. That is not what has happened so far, and only a process of this sort can enable international politics to recover its credibility, since only in this concrete manner will it be possible to reduce significantly carbon dioxide levels and to prevent even greater evils over time.

 

May those taking part in the Conference be strategists capable of considering the common good and the future of their children, more than the short-term interests of certain countries or businesses. In this way, may they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame. To the powerful, I can only repeat this question: “What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power, only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?”

 

 

May the love of God be as deep as the ocean floor, as sweeping as the currents, and as soothing as the waves crashing on the shore. Creator of mysteries, help each of us be stewards of the ocean. Stir our spirits with wonder and amazement knowing that Your love for us extends even beyond the horizon of the open sea. We rejoice in the living waters of the ocean and tread lightly on Your shores, hoping to leave this miraculous creation a mystery to behold for all future generations. Amen. — Mercy International Association