Oh, How We See
Lexington, MA
2020, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
You can see for miles,
I can see for meters.
You can see the past,
I can see the present.
You can see the crystal clear, the deep blue,
I can see my own hand in front of me, no farther.
You only see what you want to,
I can see where I want to.
Despite the differences in our vision,
We still see the same.
Yet, only I can imagine…
Those nets are not to catch fish, but to catch trash.
Those boats are not to transport and dump oil, but to rescue dolphins and turtles.
Those hands are not trying to destroy, but trying to mend.
When coral becomes protected,
Fish flourish.
When plastic is removed,
Turtles breathe.
When boats do not trawl,
Ecosystems thrive.
How graceful the waves strike the brown sand.
How brown the waves become from what is lost.
How does the water appear so different even though it is the same?
How is our love of big blue so different from our love of each other?
There is a mother tending to her child on the shore.
There is a father teaching his child how to swim.
There are parents seeing the smooth water, reminiscing their youth.
Generations, passing on their love of the sea and an engulfing sense of peace.
When I was younger,
When my father was younger,
When my grandfather was younger,
When my great grandfather was younger,
We all saw the sea change.
Some saw it grow,
Some saw it freeze,
Some saw it less,
Some saw it littered,
We all felt the life it brought to our lives.
Now, more than ever,
People are looking beyond what they want to see,
Finding a difference between imagination and reality.
Times are changing.
We the sea lovers,
At the brink of heartbreak.
We the admirers,
Of our water-bearing ancestors.
We who saw,
And want to see again.
Are rising.
Taking plastic off the beach.
Cutting nets to free the dolphins.
Leaving what’s not needed.
Developing solutions,
Filtering,
Cleaning,
Educating,
Preserving the sea and its bountiful life.
There is a hand, a foot, a life surrounded by more life.
You can see the present and the future.
I can see the past once again.
You can see for meters.
I can see for miles.
You can sea,
Possibility.
Works Cited
4 Ocean. 2020, 4ocean.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwsMzzBRACEiwAx4lLG_mVCe_JU4kD9A3YLPH4iHR3XtLE0IUqunMHiwvtxmCyOsgWEWk41RoCbjYQAvD_BwE. Accessed 19 Mar. 2020.
The Ocean Cleanup. 2020, theoceancleanup.com. Accessed 19 Mar. 2020.
Sea Save. 2020, seasave.org/united-nations-ocean-conference/?gclid=CjwKCAjwsMzzBRACEiwAx4lLGzAsMeoVodkHg0JviBGsDPULs6gI6PVD-Pci9rBIExM654RfICkrixoCZIoQAvD_BwE. Accessed 19 Mar. 2020.
Reflection
Reflection
I have always had a special connection to the sea. I lived on a Pacific Island for two years when I was younger and spent time on the Eastern shores of America swimming, sailing, fishing, and surfing. I can’t imagine a world without the sea and feel passionate about protecting it. This poem takes on the voice of the sea and how I imagine it sees human interaction, and at the same time offers how it needs to be treated. Currently, the degradation of the health of our seas has reached a point of crisis. When I read about people treating the sea and our shores disrespectfully, I am frustrated that people do not care about something that is essential to our own life. Specifically, as coral reefs significantly absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, I wonder how anyone could possibly intend to harm this important natural wonder? To me, the sea is a commodity people do not celebrate and respect enough, mostly because we do not live in the sea nor feel the effects of pollution and destruction first-hand. The majority of first responders are at best given a nod of appreciation, and they alone cannot make the needed changes. This poem is meant to connect with the empathetic side of people who see the sea and realize that their hands are needed to make a difference. If the readers helped, even in small ways, we will continue to experience the beauty of the sea for generations to come.