Degrowth in IV Movements

I

Growth proliferates — demanding

degrading, derailing, deficient

destroying, degenerating, detonating

demineralising

depressing.

Degrowth devolves — deconstructs

decentralises, deinstitutionalises, decolonises

dematerialises, demilitarises and

decommodifies.

Degrowth defuses

and designs.

Decide destination degrowth.

II

fast

slow

slower

very slow

per-fect-ly

slow

passionately

s…l…o…  w

III

momentarily

as individuals

singly

together, as a

group

collectively

as a community

communally

glocally

universally

infinitely

IV

No gladiators. No

meteors. We ignore

spectacle.

Earth’s hot molten

fire burned us

into existence.

We birthed underground

as termites turning

worming and

taking flight.

We are the untamed

heart of paradise.

Rain flows through

our veins, winds

expand, and escape

from, our lungs.

We tend and eat plants.

We are the compost

fertilising the future.

Poem written by Anitra Nelson for the 9th International Degrowth Conference, Zagreb, August–September 2023.