Open Sea
Oyster Bay, NY
2020, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
My twin and I read on a boat
in the open sea, the smell of oil
seeping into our sandwiches like rotten eggs.
The sun hits the boat
at the perfect angle. The air,
burnt sake. My family
wearing surgical masks,
afraid of suffocation:
a burnt smell, layering
our throats with a slick coating—
heavy, contagious.
And I feel guilty—
my family: using oil
for food, fuel, light.
In fertile soils, we once planted
food in the first place—
Ungrateful children, Mother scolds
as we use her fire,
her gift to the newborn
she once beheld to us:
our life source,
to destroy her body:
her land, her waters.
Reflection
Reflection
I wrote “Open Sea” after going whale watching as an excursion while on a cruise. I jotted down some sensory observations I gathered in my notebook. The smell of oil struck me as we passed an island with nothing on it but factories. Instead of whales, grey smoke hung under the clouds. Everyone on the boat was laughing and drinking rum, but I just thought about how much Mother Nature has offered her children. In this poem, I wanted to give the world the sensory view of climate change that I experienced. During this excursion, guilt weighed on my heartas the human race continues to benefit from oil extraction and consumption while destroying our home.