It is the digital art platform Circa that has invited Patti Smith as January artist on the platform.
In October last year, it all started with the Chinese superstar Ai Weiwei.
"Tribute to a schoolgirl"
The performance took place on Sunday, on Greta Thunberg's eighteenth birthday.
The poem, The cup, is about how nature turns against us, about rainforests that burn, seas that rise, and species that die out.
"It's a tribute to a schoolgirl who stepped forward all alone and urged us all to save our earth together," said Patti Smith.
Have noticed Greta before
This is not the first time Smith has noticed Thunberg.
For her 17th birthday, she published another poem on her social channels.
Due to the UK's new corona restrictions, Patti Smith only managed to stream her works on the Piccadilly Circus big screen for a few days, the rest will be shown only digitally.
Hear the poem the cup in the clip above.