open water
San Jose, CA
2021, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
after Chopin’s Étude Op. 25, No. 12—”Ocean”
étude named for its turbulence and velocity,
its unbridled crests. C minor:
a gasping for breath. unblinking and cold,
we brace for its finality—
storm surge, seascape of black and white keys, jagged brightness making and
unmaking. the highest notes retreat
like birds atop the accelerating storm,
and at night we listen
to the odd resonance of backwash and falling apart—our own wreckage and small histories
bleeding into the water.
the sky
slashed open. we are
so exposed in the loud, brief glare
of sudden light.
look at the toss
and turn, arpeggios buoyed up in torrents, the bare contour
of the right hand—
the rest of the world fractured and pulsating
to thunder. covered in water,
this city’s skyline on its knees—
all the rhythm of waves
stealing away the shore. we refuse
to settle. tell me about the unquietly
tragic production of sound,
and all that comes after: receding
waters, adaptability. we are
so human in our rawness. tell me
we’ll find a way to the other
side of this senseless horizon. tell me
we are both storm and the ocean it breaks upon.
Reflection
I’ve always been captivated by the raw, unbridled power of the ocean, and through the poem’s language and ekphrastic form, I hoped to characterize both the turbulence of the music and the violence of a coastal storm, one whose consequences are exacerbated by rising sea levels and climate change. The role of climate change in intensifying droughts and wildfires in California is well-known, but I’ve also learned that steadily rising seas, coupled with coastal storms, also pose a significant danger through massive flooding and erosion. I’m especially interested in the intersection of different art forms in creating new meaning, and wanted to use the opportunity of these prompts to experiment with exactly that, where the poem’s form and content mimicked both the contour of the music and the motion of waves. In the final lines, I wanted to explore not only the dissonance and destruction that come with climate change—for which we are at fault—but also how we can respond, and do better in the coming years. From education and protesting to more informed urban planning to concrete legislative measures, we have the power tomake positive change. Art allows us to examine our relationship to the natural world—as well as our responsibility to act—in more powerful, emotional ways that other media often cannot; I will continue using my writing to highlight the urgency of climate change, and to advocate for sustainability in the long term.