The Noise
Redmond, WA
2017, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
A blanket of white noise washes over,
and around me.
Similar,
to the waves that I call home.
But different, somehow.
Invasive,
like a fly crawling into the wound,
of a dead animal.
Yet my heart it still beating.
Not for long.
Blinding,
like the first light of morning,
pouring through the waves to greet me.
But harsher, and blunter.
Confusing,
like a morning sky filled with stars.
But less fascinating,
and more terrifying.
I let the noise take hold of me.
Wash over me,
feeling the sound of my hunger set in.
It has been days,
weeks,
years,
since the sound has arrived.
Since it has barged into our home,
unappreciatively,
unconcernedly,
like an unwanted guest to an exclusive party.
I sink down,
deep into the sea.
I let the sound grab me,
and pull me down.
I have given up.
Have you?
Works Cited
“Noise Pollution.” See the Sea – Noise Pollution In The Ocean. See The Sea, n.d. Web. 7 May 2017. http://see-the-sea.org/topics/pollution/noise/noise_pollution.htm
Reflection
My poem is from the viewpoint of a whale as she searches for food while under the influence of manmade sonar. It follows her journey until she eventually gives up and dies from starvation. The last line of the poem asks the reader if they have decided that they will give up on the ocean, and its life, like the whale. I believe that is beyond important for people to understand and appreciate the effect that we have on the oceans, in more ways than one. There are so many simple ways that people can stop the spread of ocean pollution, from buying locally, to making sure that personal boats are clean and in the best possible shape. If people come together to stop ocean pollution, there are so many things we could fix, together.