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Valley Community Land Trust / Paul Richmond

Valley Community Land Trust

 

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.