The Power in Us
Singapore
2020, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Beneath cloudy, jet black skies
Lay the ocean, a heating, perishing, decaying hell
Factories spewing forth
Our tainted offerings of industrial waste into the seas
On the beaches
Sprawl thousands of dying animals
Remnants of the past, once flourishing plethora
Of beautifully picturesque underwater forests
Where there is now a hot, wet, plastic desert
Rainbow-colored corals bleaching into gravel-grey polyps
Glaciers breaking apart, like a ripped piece of art
1 million plastic bottles produced every second
10% of them recycled, the rest ending up in oceans or landfills, breaking down into microplastics
Travelling up the food chain, to us, humans
200 million people being submerged by sea level rising in 2100
Our current actions will be something
Future generations look down upon in disgust
We’ve been building a fortress, just to watch it fall
We’ve been running forever, just to end up where we began
Amidst all crises, in the darkness
Exists a glimpse of light, tiny as a dot, yet still out there
That, is transformation
Calling all units
Global warming is spiraling out of control
Something needs to be done
The change starts with something hidden in plain sight
It is you, whomever you are
Politicians, businesspersons, reporters, or just normal citizens
There’s a secret power in everyone, including you
Hidden in your soul
This power is vital to ignite
The spark of transformation
From ecopreneurs, electric cars, ocean plastic sunglasses, biodegradable packaging
From scientists, Seabin, Reef Cubes, oil spill tracking
From policymakers, the Ocean Dumping Act, the Clean Water Act, the Shore Protection Act
From children, the Three Rs, beach cleanups, joining Oceana
Looking through the kaleidoscope of opportunity, there’s so much to do
All of them originate from this power
Make our luster of hope bigger, the future brighter, the ocean bluer
Restore our ocean, her original beauty and livelihood
Reflection
Reflection
Since birth, I have lived in an island country. I have always been fascinated by the beauty of the ocean during my weekly family trip to the beach. Several years ago, the documentary “The Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore shocked me with the fact that human activities have badly affected the ocean. The BBC and National Geographic pictures of marine animals tangled in the trash and filled with plastics broke my heart. Last year, I was in Bintan Island, planning to observe crabs building homes. However, deeply disturbed by the scattered heaps of trash on the beach, I could nearly hear the cry of marine animals choking on garbage. I spent hours cleaning up trash instead. I believe that raising ocean awareness is my unshirkable responsibility. Through researching and writing this poem, I can feel the pain of the ocean. By describing the impacts of crises and the existing methods to save the oceans, this poem inspires and advocates for paramount action. I realize my power in fighting crisis by calling readers to use their “secret power”—their intelligence and capabilities in different fields to spark the transformation. This opportunity also deepens my knowledge about ocean conservation. In general, I am interested in technologies that can be used to help people understand the impacts and source for solutions through systemic approaches. In the future, I hope to further my study on ocean conservation for the ultimate goal of a cleaner and bluer home.