Cordial Poison
Lexington, MA
2022, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Deceiving truth! Unmistakable lie!
Oh what lies underground, is rich with wealth.
Tiger, shark, whooping crane, blue whale, aye-aye!
Red, blue, pink, wherefore art all without health?
How our own mind misgives, as we shall see,
Too much happiness turns to thirsty greed.
It shall be only then, will we agree,
To the fearful misfortune, which we lead.
Innocent guilt, piteous cruelty,
This raging storm, this interrupted norm.
There, drowning in our beloved beauty.
Planet torn, burned, pests swarmed, too quick, too warm!
Heal the gash, mend the crack, undo mistake.
Rewind and reverse! Oh free those at stake!
The lark sings no more, still in endless nights.
Many fairests, fiercests, trapped in a net.
Here, now, thunderclouds crowd across all sights,
Strike! A minor spark, ignites the planet!
Icy hot, freezing flame, towering height,
‘Tis cold, ‘tis hot, madness, tragic arise!
When our thrones burn to ashes overnight,
Do we hence see our track below our eyes.
Our sorrowful laughs, our humble hubris.
What we dream, reality will not be.
As ‘tis filled with unfulfilled promises,
paints a scene of the sea as sweet as tea.
Fear not, for our future shows in our sleep,
cordial poison that’ll surely bid us leap.
Reflection
Reflection
Learning about Shakespeare in my English class inspired me to write about climate change in this new way. I structured my poem based on Shakespearean sonnets; each line is written in iambic pentameter and follows a particular rhyme scheme. In this poem, I employed personification, hyperbole, and verbal irony to capture the urgency of—and our lack of action in response to—climate change. The use of oxymora is intended to expose the conflict between our intentions or thoughts and the reality of the climate crisis. My poem is meant to communicate the idea that we are putting too much hope and trust in our futures. Having a perfect future where every problem will be solved only exists in our dreams. The juxtaposition of this old form of writing with a current topic creates a sense of humor that is meant to engage the audience. I hope that by capturing the audience’s attention, I can establish a connection that will encourage them to take part in climate change action.