Beyond Definition
West Chester, PA
2020, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
A coral reef cannot speak
cannot cry
cannot scream
cannot choke out as it drowns
in acidic waters
A coral reef cannot move
cannot run
cannot hide
cannot follow fleeing fish
nor their sons and daughters
A coral reef cannot choose
The skeleton of an ecosystem
Brittle bones and broken homes
and silence as it lies
alone
And due to no fault of its own
Grim reaping what mankind has sown
Oceans are used
As a measure of distance, as
a barrier
An ocean apart is too far to—
cross
help
care
—for those on the other side
Oceans are used
To minimize efforts
A drop in the ocean
Barely ripples the surface
Let alone stirs the depths
Oceans are used
Are used
Are used, and used, and usedandusedandusedand
Gutted like a fish
(With no fish left to speak of)
Yet oceans surpass
These meanings and uses assigned to them
Oceans teach us
The worth of a single person, each heart in a movement
The floods of change
Are forged from droplets
Oceans unite us
Flowing delta, wetland, river
Circulatory system of the planet
Beating with the rhythm of the tides
One ecosystem, organism, life
Oceans provide for us
As we must provide in return
We are like coral
Built upon one another
Sustaining a multitude of species around us
Corroding to the platitude that ignorance is bliss
Strengthening in the wake of awareness
We, unlike coral, are fortunate for
We can speak,
Can inspire
We can move,
Can makes waves
Coursing for centuries
We can choose,
Can love ourselves
Can love our Earth
One and the same
Embracing the Challenge, the Change, the Future
We embark
Reflection
I have been passionate about poetry ever since I first read a poem in elementary school. For me, poetry is the best medium to communicate emotions. My love for ecology, on the other hand, developed in middle school and has only grown since then. I was shocked by the immense harmfulness of climate change, and perhaps even more shocked to learn that many people around me didn't know or care about it. I tried to talk to a friend about my concerns for the planet, and she replied that she didn't really care about polar bears (ignoring my statements that climate change impacts everyone). I wrote this poem to draw attention to the damage done to the oceans, such as coral bleaching and overfishing, but also to empower individuals. I have met people who believe that a single person is meaningless in the efforts to combat climate change. I want my poem to express that everybody's efforts are of value, even more so when combined. Looking at the young people contributing to Bow Seat's and many other organizations' efforts, I feel hopeful for the future. I hope to be an environmental engineer so that I can contribute towards becoming a more sustainable world.