Oddy-Sea of Plastic
Charlotte, NC
2022, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Do you ever wonder, what happens to me?
As I’m dumped from all places, into the sea?
I come in all forms, shapes, and sizes,
Though my size never wins any prizes
I befriended a certain sea turtle while drifting,
And she told me something rather not uplifting
“My uncle Jim had a bellyache.
All because of something he ate.
It was a plastic strip he thought looked good,
But little did he know, it was not food
He’s fine now, after his little treat,
But is now wary of what he eats.”
So, as you see what a small piece of me can do,
Let’s look at some more effects of the plastic you threw
As I continue my journey at sea, I see a whale headed towards me
He looks at me and takes a good smell
And then pops me in his mouth before I can tell
Him that I am not a delicacy
I’m more like a deadly-cacy
I squirm inside trying not to pass through his gullet
Cause even I, a plastic pellet,
Can cause him great discomfort and harm,
Just like a sea lion called plain old Sam
Who is this simple Sam, you might ask,
Well, I guess I’ve been taken to task
Plain old Sam is a hungry soul
Who eats and eats till he can eat no more
He seems to be able to almost digest anything
But plastic is not one of those things
When poor Sam found out that a plastic bottle
He could not digest, not even on full throttle
He could not eat for a week how much ever he tried
When finally, the bottle came out from his behind
Remember that I’m still stuck in a whale’s mouth
I must escape and find a way out
Suddenly, with no control,
I’m blown out through the whale’s blowhole!
Uh-oh! Time’s running out, I gotta go
Warn creatures of what I can do
I hope someday, us plastics at sea
Can go to a place where we’re meant to be
Where we’re not destroying the planet, piece by piece
For our minds to rest in peace
Reflection
What if plastic had a mind of its own and was the one being conscious about the welfare of the planet? Wouldn’t that be ironic? I was trying to use irony and humor to convey the message that even the smallest pollutants can affect the largest animals.