Song for the Arctic Ocean
Saratoga, CA
2019, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
after Ludovico Einaudi
Music floats off stage—an elegy echoing
across the ice. He closes his eyes. At his touch,
the piano celebrates and mourns: a reminder
of all the stories the Arctic currents carry. Come.
Hear the clop-clopping of caribou hooves—
entire herds thunder past as families cross
bridges of ice. And look—polar bears lumber
across sparkling sheets. The cubs trail after mama bear;
they tumble about in the snow, shaking their heads
so the snow coating their snouts falls free.
Plunge into icy waters and swim among graceful seals.
Watch a beluga whale, the corners of its mouth upturned
like a smile, emerge out of the waves. Sit in on a class or two
with schools of Arctic cod. Visit villages and see not houses,
but homes. Languages, songs, ways of life—
they crumble into the sea as their frozen foundation
collapses. Waves deliver herds of caribou on shore, dead.
Drowned. A scarcity of sea ice leaves polar bears wrestling
with hunger. Massive icebergs exist on the edge,
threatening to fall tumble crash and trigger tsunamis
that wipe out homes by the hundreds. When each piano key
descends, hammers tap strings stretched tight. His fingers flutter
in a frenzy; the song crescendos. Listen: the rumbling has returned.
The ice roars. It crashes below, blasts waves that sweep
across the globe, touching every stream and starlit beach.
Centuries fall in seconds, as if some god swung a hammer
against those ancient walls of white.
Reflection
Reflection
I remember crying the first time I listened to Ludovico Einaudi’s “Elegy for the Arctic,” a song Einaudi performed to advocate for the protection of the Arctic. I felt so overwhelmed by the beauty and poignancy of the song. It served as a reminder of all there is to lose as more and more sea ice melts because of rising global temperatures, contributing to rising sea levels. I wanted to celebrate the beauty of the Arctic, a beauty that I sincerely hope that we can continue appreciating far into the future. But I also recognize how the impacts of climate change in the Arctic Ocean can be the first fallen domino that affects the rest of the world. I also wanted to highlight how art, particularly music, is able to bring people together in solidarity for a crucial cause—one that we not only have to address in the future, but also right now.