Bursting Bubbles
Flushing, NY
2016, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
next time the carbonated bubbles of coke surge into your mouth,
don’t let the bubbles pop too quickly.
hold onto them a little longer,
and let the bubbles take your mind underwater,
where you can see beautiful life all around.
here you can see
a turtle with a bright red cape,
a seal with a long clear mask,
fish playing with small caps of all colors of the rainbow,
otters with clear tight necklaces.
even more fascinating are the ducks,
that breathe air through the straws stuck in their throats,
or the seagulls that dine with the plastic utensils under their wings.
unlike the soda in the can you just bought,
the souvenirs marine animals have claimed their own
will stay with them forever:
the bright red chinese supermarket bag will never peel itself from the turtle’s shell,
the very thing that makes it look like a hero is a villain itself.
the seal with the water bottle stuck to its nose is a silly sight,
but it’s a time bomb in disguise,
slowly suffocating the seal to death.
the fish playing with beer bottle caps
mistake the colorful tops for snacks
and let the sharp edges cut their way inside.
the fashionable otters with the chokers around their necks,
binding their arms and legs-
their customized straitjacket with added handcuffs,
once held the same type of cans you hold in your hand now.
the souvenirs that marine animals have claimed from the human world,
have claimed the animals themselves.
If your beloved bubbles have burst suddenly,
don’t drop your can-
though the blood of countless sea animals spills from your hands.
because yes, the plastics may never biodegrade
and pollute the oceans for decades
but you can still do so much with the hands you were given
and make a difference in the world you live in
recycle your soda can
and go to the beach
pick up all the plastics under your feet
inspire others to do the same
so that the deaths of that turtle,
that seal,
the fish,
the otters,
the ducks,
the seagulls,
and all marine wildlife,
will not be in vain.
Reflection
Reflection
My name is Caitlin So. I wrote the poem bursting bubbles to address the very important issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. Most people, like me, already know that littering is bad. Nevertheless, many people are not fully aware of the horrible repercussions. As I was researching about marine debris, I saw countless pictures of the cutest sea animals either trapped in plastic six-pack rings or choking on plastic trash. All these pictures were so powerful and provoked intense emotions within me.
I want my writing to impact the reader the way the pictures impacted me. I wanted to reveal a previously obscured truth to someone. The poem is directed at a person drinking soda, a mundane activity that everyone does, to show that my poem was for average people. My title, bursting bubbles, relates to the carbonated bubbles in soda and to the popular saying “burst your bubble,” which means to reveal something to someone who is unaware or ignorant of it. That is exactly what I wanted to do through my writing. I hope when someone reaches the end of my poem, they are filled with the same intense feelings of sadness, anger, and shame I felt. I hope people use those feelings to make a difference. I know I will.