Today I went to buy some paint
Katy, TX
2022, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Today I went to buy some paint.
I skipped down Alaska
With my trusty sunglasses and sunblock
And a breezy pair of shorts.
Pink, yellow, and blue.
To cover up the snowy white coral.
A little bit of green, too.
For the missing algae.
As I was walking to the beach.
I bought a cup of coffee.
And threw the plastic cup off the dock,
When I was finished.
“What’s one more piece of plastic,
in a vast ocean?”
I said out loud.
People around me nodded their heads.
So I skipped towards the end of the dock.
And bought some snorkeling goggles.
There, I saw a couple signs.
Stop climate change!
Save the oceans!
Girls and boys around me,
were frowning and worried.
So I did my magic
And dabbed some paint on the words.
Suddenly, they had smiling faces
Which shone as bright as the sun here.
I continued skipping down the dock.
When a girl asked me,
“Who are you?!”
I smiled and replied,
“Oh, you know me very well!”
“Really? What do you do?”
“I help you be happy.”
Her eyes widened,
“Wow, do you help the Earth too!?”
I set down the paint cans,
put on my goggles
And started to walk away.
“Wait!” She yelled, “What’s your name?”
I grinned down at her,
“Well, I like to go by Ignorance.”

Reflection
Reflection
“Today I went to buy some paint” takes ignorance and makes it a sentient being. Throughout my research, I realized apathy is one of the biggest reasons why most people don’t take climate change seriously, or don’t try to overcome it. I used satire, humor, and irony to convey my message. So many people in the world are like our narrator, and they aren’t doing any good. By experiencing what we sometimes do or think on a daily basis from an outside point-of-view, we can see how wrong these actions are. Along with humor and irony, the poem is generally positive. However, there are darker undertones. For example, there’s hints of climate change in the poem: tropical Alaska, coral bleaching, and ocean pollution. Also, it’s mentioned that she helps make us happy, not the earth. That’s shown with the awareness signs. When people were exposed to what was really going on in the world, they weren’t happy about it. However, as soon as she covered up the words, it took away the responsibility they had to help save the Earth. My message to readers is to not let ignorance get the best of you. Acknowledge what’s wrong with the world, and try your best to help it.