Singing to the Unknown
Danville, CA
2021, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
My bare palms cradle each other under the tap
They hold each other as if they are feathers
My voice sings rhymes to the great unknown inside the tap
The voice inside is silent
I sing and sing
This time a chime
Something responds
In just one drop
It swirls around
Singing back at me in a honeyed voice
I see myself in this unknown
I hear myself
It stares at me
Reflecting my soul
My palms cracked, dry, and bare
The unknown’s voice is so loud it stings
The voice quiets
And then
It disappears
The unknown vanished
The voice no longer sings
It no longer stings
My bare palms are the only things that speak
My palms, wanting more
Cradle under the tap
And continue to sing
Reflection
As a young child, and even as a teenager today, I have always realized how privileged and lucky I am. I always had food on the table, I had a roof over my head, I had access to clean water, and I was healthy. However, in realizing this, I also knew I had to look at the other side. Kids my age didn't have access to education, food on the table, or clean water. This unbalance of equality is frustrating and deeply saddening. And, when thinking of how I could come up with a way to convey a strong, powerful, and creative message, I knew I had to dive deeper than just my relationship with water. One day, my science teacher was talking about water insecurity. She explained when she went to India, she had spoken with little kids who had gone without water for more than a day. However, they would continue to wait by the tap, just in case the water came out. This simple story spoke so clearly to me. With that story in mind, I hoped to convey a message through my own words. A message of how water reflects the hope and persistence in each one of us and our society as a whole. After working on this poem for over a month and absorbing all of this information, I know that I will continue to advocate for water security and clean water through written and visual works, hoping it will inspire a change and spark others to take action.