Bear
Severna Park, MD
2019, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Broken home,
Fractured in the ice,
Trekking through the barren white,
Nowhere to run,
Nowhere to hide,
Traversing this frozen land,
What once was home is now gone,
Melted away,
Forced to journey,
Oh so long,
Looking for survival,
Through the split frost,
Into the growing depths below,
One false step would seal any fate,
The only tell are the abrupt end of prints to the edge,
And a frozen raft in the distance,
Carrying a refugee of this melting land,
On a barge of ice,
Over the cutting waves,
Never to see home again,
And as the glaciers break like glass and fall,
They are not just a drop in the ocean,
A ripple in the waves,
But the mighty roar,
Of a drowning Earth.
Reflection
Reflection
As a child in Maryland, I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay and the Severn River and saw the beauty of the Earth’s waters every day. Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing fish floating dead on the river or living with the possibility that my children might never see a polar bear. To me, this competition is more than just a contest, it is a call for young activists to take action not only for themselves but also for future generations. My hope is that my poem will convey and help people relate to the plight of polar bears that lose their homes every day. It also will give perspective on how climate change impacts the habitats of animals in places like Alaska and the Arctic. I chose to enter this contest so that I can evoke change in a creative way. My sole purpose in writing “Bear” is to show people how horrible climate change is, as well as how it is affecting more species than the human race. My hope is that people will learn, as I did, the unintended consequences of their actions on our global climate. I am and will always be an advocate for the preservation of our Earth, and will be more conscientious about my efforts toward halting climate change. I will travel by bike, minimize my use of plastic products, and educate others on how to care for the environment. To me, I feel that we can overcome the damage of climate change as long as we educate ourselves and others. Climate change knows no race, ethnicity, gender, or age; however, if we do not act, our beautiful Earth will be irrevocably damaged.