Reflection

Reflection

I was inspired to create this poem because I believe that the issue of land degradation has been overshadowed by other climate change concerns, such as the melting of ice in Antarctica or the effects that plastic pollution has on climate change. Eswatini is the subject of this poem, and it is a country in South Africa that has experienced severe land degradation from agriculture, fertilizers, and tillage farming practices that erode the soil and eliminate the biodiversity and nutrients in the soil. I wanted to use this poem as a medium to raise awareness for global issues such as climate change, land degradation, and the food scarcity that arises from soil that can no longer grow crops and produce due to erosion. I wanted to emphasize how, in today's world, land is viewed as a means to earn money rather than an opportunity to harvest and cultivate life through sustainable methods. There is this constant chase to produce more and more and more, even at the expense of damaging the soil and eliminating its nutrients and biodiversity. Rather than trying to recuperate the soil, the status quo is to simply use synthetic chemical fertilizers to increase soil activity. The avarice of large agricultural sectors manifests in greed and selfishness to do whatever it takes to harvest and abuse all possible resources that a piece of land can offer. As one piece of land no longer becomes "of use," these sectors will simply pick another piece of land and repeat this vicious cycle that has spread like a plague. I decided to name the poem "Congratulations: Successfully Achieved!" as an ironic title because people are proud of themselves and feel accomplished for producing higher yields each year without recognizing that it is detrimental to the environment and accelerating the climate change crisis. I hope that my poem can act as a call to action—a call to action for people to ask: at what point will they stop? Will industries only realize the devastating impacts that land degradation has on the planet once all land has been consumed and the environment has finally been destroyed? Overconsumption is amplifying the destructive power of climate change to grand magnitudes. Although anxious and deeply alarmed, I am optimistic that together, as a generation, we can turn the tide and step into a greener future! I hope that my poem was able to convey this powerful message in a creative and artistic way.