Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict - Star-Thrower

To be chaired by William Hague and Angelina Jolie

This is (and I quote) 'the largest ever international Summit on the issue. Ministers from countries (currently 140) who have endorsed the Declaration as well as reps from civil society, grassroots organisations, the judiciary, militaries and international organisations will come together to agree practical actions to help put an end to the use of sexual violence in conflict. The Foreign Secretary (William Hague) wants the Summit to ... permanently change global attitudes on this issue'.

Look at the website
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/sexual-violence-in-conflict

The performer space is
Tuesday 1:45-2:45
Wed 5:45-6:45

I will have approximately 4-5 mins

Here's one of the poems I'll be performing:

This poem is based on a story (of the same name)  by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) who wrote it as an essay originally. It was published posthumously in an anthology of Eisely’s works (1978) with an intro by WH Auden.

 Star-Thrower

The storm battered the shore that night.

Thousands of starfish were left stranded
along the beach as the tide retreated,
they were drying and dying in the sun.

A young girl was picking them up

one-by one and throwing them back
as far into the sea as she could.

A writer was walking her dog

and stopped to watch the girl.
‘What’s the point?’ she told her,
‘You can’t make a difference,
there’s just too many’.

‘I made a difference to that one’,

said the girl as she threw.