Reflection

My interest in ocean regenerative farming–and the existence of this poem–is a direct result of the incredibly hopeful, happy feeling I got from reading Bren Smith’s interview in Unfinished Conversations. His down-to-earth, effective, and workable solution that actually helps the climate showed me that real work begins not in the flashy stuff, but in the invisible, background hum of quiet, humble work with the land. The title of my piece, “Jobs You Write Songs About” is the title of that mindblowing interview as well. I was also inspired by a sighting of an aquaculture farm off the coast of Mexico–I was awed by the magnitude of the benefits these innovative technologies brought: carbon capture, sustainable food sources, and dignified jobs. But I was also saddened by the lack of public support and awareness of such climate solutions, and frustrated and enraged by the climate messaging that isn’t particularly accessible or relevant to the everyday person. I resonated with Bren Smith's message about making climate conversations more relevant to everyday people, not about polar bears and whatnot. One of the primary directives of social justice art to me is to paint a radical picture of what our world might look like–to bring people into openly sharing hopes and fears, so that we may have a more expansive and informed view upon which to act. I wanted to create a poem set in the future that reflects back on current times in order to paint a picture of what our world could look like if we put in the effort to treat it right. So few people (especially young people!) know about GreenWave’s important work, and so every hour I poured into constructing this felt like a meaningful hour well-spent; I knew that at least one more person would be able to feel the same kind of inspiration/hope as I did when I first heard of ocean regenerative farming. In writing the poem, I myself have become more closely reacquainted with that hope–in the process of researching the actual farming process and how Smith’s advocacy took shape, I envisioned myself as a part of the story of its creation. Personally, as a newly registered voter, I want to use my political power to help instate politicians that care to support and more importantly, help fund meaningful and effective climate solutions like regenerative ocean farming.