The Crisis
Fuchu, Japan
2020, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
The whole world halted,
for all I could see was a blur of movement and noise.
A turtle’s limp body stained the soil,
lying peacefully on the ground.
I ran over to him, noticing the paper-thin incisions that lined his scaly body.
My fingers tenderly touched his neck, praying for a pulse.
His fallen figure rendered me speechless,
mouth agape at his lifeless form.
The Crisis had come, with its long, gnarly arms, ringing the bells of death. The
Crisis was an eclipse that overshadowed him—my sunshine and my savior. The
universe that I live in is now eternally plunged into an everlasting night, a
never-ending new moon.
And now I peer up at the numerous stars painting the constellations,
traces of my beloved scattered across the night sky.
My dearest companion closes his eyes for the last time as he takes his final breath.
“Wait. Wait a little more,” I begged him.
By then, The Crisis had taken its final toll,
closing off the remaining thin light of hope
in an abyss of repeating nightmares.
And once more, the whole world halted.
It was exactly 100 moons after the arrival of The Crisis
That I noticed a peculiar tugging on my throat
Accompanied my journeys in this vast sea of gray.
Latched on to me like a child’s hand would in a crowd of people,
I realized that this circular transparent band on my neck
Was simply a veil of death that hung over me.
It was a ticking time bomb of The Crisis’s own making.
Suddenly, a great shadow shrouded me in darkness.
Was it a sea animal? Was it The Crisis?
With fright, it came to my realization that it was a human.
I swam no more, awaiting a death that never came.
Five fingers reached over my neck, a foreign feeling.
Snap! The object that painfully constricted my throat disappeared.
Fireworks of euphoria coursed through my veins,
For my voice, my strength, my spirit—had all returned.
For the first time in my life, a joyful thought struck me.
“The Crisis can be conquered.”
Works Cited
https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/plastic-pollution-is-killing-sea-turtles-heres-how#gs.806i0g
https://theconversation.com/young-activists-are-boosting-the-climate-movement-so-why-all-the-flak-124220
Reflection
Reflection
Inspired by the increase in movements and organizations that help save marine life, I chose to base my piece on the small beacon of hope that these groups give me. I depicted the issue of plastic pollution and climate change by incorporating a character named "The Crisis," which is a dark, horrifying figure that is, at times, portrayed like a disease or a monster. By creating two turtles with seemingly human-like features and emotions, I wanted readers to be able to walk around in a marine animal's skin and truly regard them as more than animals in an aquarium. Writing this piece gave me a sense of optimism as I learned about the immense strides the climate movement has made in the past few years. In another sense, it has made me realize how ignorant the majority of the population has been regarding topics of climate change. Though I actively try to minimize my carbon footprint by eating plant-based foods as much as possible, writing this piece has widened my perspective on climate change and has urged me to participate in youth climate activism.