portrait of ocean as mother
Foster City, CA
2020, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
the ocean is not your refuge is not your refuge is not your refuge
the ocean is crumbling seafoam fingers
and brittle basalt toes. somewhere
an iceberg yawns itself into her chest
and her heart becomes half-submerged in the rising tide—
in her panic she eats up coastlines, threatens cities
holding a feverish heat in her belly
as the world smolders around her
the ocean is not your wastebin is not your wastebin is not your wastebin
she is already neck deep in plastic. unable to shout
over the marlboro cigarettes and hershey’s wrappers
lodged in her throat—
the ocean dreams of a world where her children
do not die on sandy shores filled with garbage
yet still blots of iridescent oil bloom on the surface of her skin
anathema to the gentle drifters of the sunlight zone—
while you see nothing but money down the drain.
with her body covered in scars
the ocean never forgets
the ocean is not your guardian is not your guardian is not your guardian
she is still trying to steady the ebb and flow of her breaths
waiting for us to plug her wounds with more
than just thoughts and prayers. look around and see
the protests on the steps of the capitol building
the voices raised in unison
the shoals of helping hands
scooping pounds of trash from the shores—
see that each action is to effect as
a tiny splash is to a thousand ripples
touching every life left in their wake
the ocean is creator is unsung martyr is mother
once breathing life into the crevices of this earth
now she struggles to breathe at all—
for the ocean that has given everything to us, we will
use our voices to protect to heal to sing
the song of hope that the ocean carries on—
every word a blazing spark, our veins filled with gasoline
burning with passion to right our wrongs
we are the future we are our own hope
—we are the solution we have been seeking
the ocean does not forget. but she does forgive.
Reflection
Reflection
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, I’ve had many sentimental memories of the ocean, whether it is spending summers at Half Moon Bay or driving to Pier 31 in San Francisco. The ocean has always inspired a deep sense of wonder in me—that’s why hearing about efforts to right the wrongs that we have inflicted upon the ocean inspires a deep sense of hope in me, from trash pick-ups by the beach to ocean awareness protests. I wanted to incorporate these feelings about the ocean into my poem. While writing the poem, I really considered how I could present a different perspective of looking at the ocean— not just as a “problem” that we need to “fix,” but as a kind of mother figure or creator that we couldn’t live without. In the same vein, I also tried to allow readers to see the issues affecting our environment in a new light. I tried to steer away from sending a message of guilt or shame for human involvement in climate issues; I focused on what people can do rather than what they should’ve done. Each of us can make a difference in mitigating the effects of human activities on the environment, and I want my poem to inspire others to take action. We as humans have the ability to reverse the damage we have done to the ocean in the past— and it’s never too late to spark change.