Reflection

I recall the moment in early June when I looked out the window of my chemistry classroom to find the sky tinged with a pale orange hue. As the period continued, it only became more and more pigmented to the point where it felt like I was looking at the world through those color-tinted glasses sometimes passed out during fairs and carnivals. In the moment, everyone seemed unworried and even awestruck by this scene that none of us had ever before witnessed, including me. But as we heard more about the Canadian wildfires that had incited the color change, the sky became more of a sign of fear, confusion, and anxiety. But it was also intriguing in a new way; instead of gazing at the sky, I spiraled into an online search about the current situation of Canada's wildlife and the possible causes of the fire that was apparently so bad that the thick smoke had blown down parts of the east coast, thus impacting the air quality around where I lived in unbelievable ways. With climate change still perpetually worsening, I wanted to illustrate urgency and sorrow through my poem. Although an obvious sign of climate change, the orange skies, have come and gone, the issue itself has not disappeared, which is an idea that I think has escaped many people. While fear, panic, and concern were abundant during those three fateful days in June, those feelings have largely passed; the sense of urgency about the environment has become much weaker. I hope that through spreading more awareness about the topic, through writing, protests, and community service projects, a feeling of urgency regarding the state of our world can be reinstated, leading to real change for the better of Mother Earth.