Reflection

Reflection

While researching for this poem, I discovered that climate anxiety (or “eco grief”) affects a significant number of youth across the globe, and is intrinsically connected to the hopelessness and apathy that I’ve observed. When children feel that their future prospects are unsalvageable, they feel a deep and pervasive pessimism that ultimately impacts their overall mental health. Unfortunately, this is rarely brought up in discussions about the environment. So, I wrote this poem, which uses white space in a stanzaic format to capture the experience of climate anxiety. The indentation causes the text to fall in a jagged manner, similar to how one might feel when they’re anxious, and the abrupt line breaks highlight the effects of attempting to process a problem as intricate as climate change. I ended the poem with an uplifting message so that readers could understand just how incredible living in this world can be. I wanted readers to feel seen and heard in their feelings surrounding climate change, and spark honest dialogue when it comes to the intersection of environmental sustainability and mental health. Through writing and environmental advocacy, I would like to emphasize life to my community and beyond. Encouraging collective action on the ideological and political stage can improve not only our physical surroundings, but our mental and emotional environment. It is my hope that by bringing this conversation to a larger audience, the future can become a little bit brighter.