Three Poems for Valley Community Land Trust
by Paul Richmond
Jul, 2021
Valley Community Land Trust
Has a long history
Of having a political consciousness
Anti War
Self Reliance
Back to the land
Economic justice
Women’s rights
Anti Racist
Core value
No One Owns Land
You are leasing a piece of the earth
While you are here
A place to live
Being a steward
On the land
In the beginning
There were hippie handshakes
Statements of values
By-laws and meetings
VCLT was incorporated in 1977
Over 200 acres of land in Franklin County, MA.
Taken off the market
The land provides homes for more than 50 people
Homes with
Gardens
Woods
Orchards
Open fields
And cottage industries
Sustaining an organization for the last 44 years
Isn’t all parties and pot lucks
More of a roller coaster
Of ups and downs
Individuals and group energy
In a dance with our daily lives
And our commitment
To the VCLT
By signing a lease
A number of the original members have died
Others have moved on
New younger members
Taking care of the land
That the earth is not for sale
We come into this world
And along with all the other creatures who are here
Finding our way to be sustainable
Taking care of the land for future generations
The land is not for sale
How Much for the Land
I’ll give you some beads
I’ll give you some shells
At $25 not many could afford it
At $100 you were grateful
You didn’t have to pay $200
At an auction I bid $2000
And felt victorious
At $50,000
I was told it was a steal
At $100,000
I was told to appreciate the quality
At $500,000
I was told I had good taste
At a Million
I was told I had privilege
At a Billion
I was told I had power
At a trillion dollars I watched it burn
At a trillion dollars I watched it burn
When the smoke cleared
It wasn’t worth anything
To anyone
I knew it from the beginning
There is no dollar amount
The earth is not for sale
Why did I play along
Annual Meetings
The gathering of the members
Over the years
Pot luck dinners
Rotating to the various lease holds
With work days
To help each other with our projects
There is the sense of family
Of being involved with others
In a common cause
Then there is the craziness of each of our lives
Losing of jobs
Being behind in lease fees
Internal battles for power
Over what is the organization
Which is all of us
As years go by
Disagreements
Changes in ideology
Not as easy as just walking away
All the land is connected
Needs to be protect and maintained by VCLT
We are VCLT
Having to find ways to work things out
Attempts to come to a consensus
And when it is not possible
How to move on
For the survival of the organization
Accepting things change
What worked 20 years ago
May not work now
Takes attention and work
To keep an organization up to date
As land prices keep raising
Due to over population
Due to climate changes
Will there be a scarcity of inhabitable places to live
Where there is water
Not extreme heat or cold
There is a lot that has to change
In our culture as to how we view
The earth
And will countries stop
Marking off areas
That they say are theirs
Scarcity has always played a part
We have managed to keep
VCLT alive and well
Keeping land off the open market
See you at the next semi-annual meeting
Paul Richmond has served as the National Beat Poet Laureate (2019-20) as well as the Massachusetts State Beat Poet Laureate (2017-19). He has performed inter-/nationally at venues such as the Austin International Poetry Festival, Gödör Klubban at the Jazzköltexzeti est in Budapest, Beat Festival in Stockholm, Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, and the West End Poetry Festival in Carrboro, North Carolina. Paul has five books in print, including his latest, The 24 Hour Store was Closed. His work has appeared in many journals, magazines, anthologies, and he manages Human Error Publishing. Visit Paul at paulrichmond.myportfolio.com
Since 1977, when Valley Community Land Trust was incorporated, we have acquired through donations and purchase, over 200 acres of land in Franklin County, MA. This land has provided homes for more than 50 people and provided a base for agriculture, forestry and various cottage industries. Our nearly irreversible ownership of the land makes it accessible for generations to come and insulates it from market pressures. In addition, the VCLT’s leases are structured to maintain reasonable resale values for our lessees’ homes.