Cut Me Deeper
Menlo Park, CA
2020, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
If you cut me open,
I am filled with squalor.
Miserable,
Filthy.
People try to sew me closed
Shut me down
But this time
I will not stay down
I am an open wound
Bloody.
Infected.
I am an open wound,
That needs power to heal.
If you cut me open,
You might see carcasses of beautiful, effervescent
creatures that make up
Our planet.
These deaths have become familiar to me,
And I cannot help but wonder
When it is my time to go.
If you cut me open,
You will think I am
A landfill or even a dump,
Filled with soda cans and plastic.
You will ignore the fact that
No one deserves to be a place
For trash.
You will feel strange overlooking this fact,
But you will not think twice after
You have.
If you cut me open,
You will see that you are not the only
Broken one.
You will know that you are part of
A family.
But if you cut me deeper,
Deep inside of me
There is
Everlasting
Forever giving
Never ending
Hope.
Reflection
I chose to focus on raising awareness for the sea because not only is it 71% of our world, but it’s also a significant part of mine. As I was working on this creation, it came through to me how passionate I was about this topic. Prior to submitting work for this competition, I knew I wanted to help Planet Earth in the small ways I could, but now I’m resolute in keeping these promises. I want my viewers to feel the same way by realizing how little it takes from each being to create a powerful movement while going through their own journeys of miraculous discovery. My research taught me there are many facts about this globe and its oceans that we love, but also abuse. I appreciate this experience for me as a student who has always wanted to feed her curiosity. If someone asks me if I can see if our future holds a celebration, I am unable to answer them because I cannot fully know what will happen next. However, I have hope because I believe the good in the world can easily overcome the evil and the indifferent. After observing my journey throughout this procedure, I admit that I have learned facts about myself that have surprised me or ones I had forgotten about. But I will always remember to hope for a better future while working for one as well.