Little Do They Know
Glendale, CA
2019, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Little do they know, these plankton…
As they wander and greet the dimly lit shoreline above,
As they get pulled by the gravity that carries them gently,
As they venture along the vast blue without end,
They contentedly dance and skitter freely across the waves,
They look upon the boundless sea waiting for their play.
Yet the enveloping fumes creep and engulf them helplessly,
Now drifting along the dark barren from one plankton to another.
Little do they know, these coral…
As the flashes of red-yellow blurring pink wave a flutter passing by,
As they vivaciously sway with the millions of ripples,
As the resilient light seeps through the brimming ocean layer atop them,
They chatter about days to come with one another,
They flash their vibrant colors up to those above.
Yet they painfully shrivel, a silent cry for tenderness,
For a single fish and a single color that these coral long to hold.
Little do they know, these fish…
As they move along a reflected white opaque wall
As if stuck in a deep hypnotic dance,
As if everything would seem to elude away,
They forcefully drag themselves, no longer free,
They trek across the never-ending pound of waves.
Yet, as they are cornered and trapped in an abandoned, forgotten sea,
The last fish wanders the stolen unknown.
Little do they know, these humans…
As the sea of flames consumes the thickets so lifeless,
As another branch comes crashing to the soil,
As the rolling tires come to a stop, the imperceptible gas rises.
They see a world untouched by frailty.
They see a world impeccable compared to all others.
Yet they don’t see the shriveled or hear the silent trapped screams,
Overtaken by their own satisfaction and pleasures—humans’ indulgence.
Reflection
The vast and beautiful ocean that we look to as a resource or as a relaxing vacation spot is starting to become uninhabitable for sea life. What many don’t realize is that we are the ones killing those innocent ocean lives. Humans have the biggest impact on the ocean because of climate change. It is important for people to be aware of these effects. At the start, I barely knew about the ongoing effects of climate change. I wanted to obtain a better understanding, while also informing others of the destruction that we have caused in the ocean. Although climate change is evidently having serious negative effects on the world, not enough people are stepping up to try and make a change. I had heard of the effects of climate change, but I did not know that it could so deeply destroy the many lives of sea animals or their homes until after this assignment. The effects of climate change may not be affecting all humans now, but soon the effects will ripple, and they will impact all our daily lives.