War of the Ocean
Singapore
2016, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
You gave us picturesque sunrise and sunset,
We created haze to mute those beautiful pallets.
You gave us water as clear as a scintillating crystal,
We gave you garbage as dangerous as toxic chemical.
You helped us generate tidal electricity,
We destroyed you for eternity.
We made offerings of oil and plastic to Amphitrite,
And turned her into angry Cymopoleia.
Your planktons gave us oxygen to respire,
We gave your fishes carbon dioxide to expire.
You decorated us with precious pearls and corals,
We decorated your shores with plastics and debris.
Tsunami was your way of revenge,
Plastics were our way of ignorance.
We were cheerful when you were silent,
We were dreadful when you turned violent.
You gave us deep blue sea for diving,
We gave your marine babies toxin for dying.
You delighted us with delicious sea food,
We disappointed you with plastic disposables.
We mourn the sinking of Titanic,
You mourn the sinking of Odyssey.
Your land was reclaimed to build cities to our taste,
Your floor was abandoned with radioactive waste.
We navigated on you to conquer continents,
But blamed you when you swallowed our opulence.
Your waves covered my tiny feet,
Our chemicals covered your whole body.
We were angry when your typhoons hit our giant fleet,
You were angry when our oil rigs hit your lovely feet.
You filled great poets with mirth,
We filled your waters with dirt.
You gave us more than what we need,
We humans could not curb our greed!
Reflection
Reflection
Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’.I am a student and according to my perspective and view of ocean pollution we must not defile the serene waters of our magnificent oceans with garbage and plastic wastes. The Ganges water pollution inspired me to write this poem. Last December, when I went there to take a dip in the holy Ganga, the scene that presented before me was truly shocking. The holy river was polluted with toxic chemicals, industrial effluents, suspended solids, organic and inorganic substances, etc.
The pollution of water has led to deterioration in the quality of drinking water and has threatened the very survival of marine life. If this pollution grows beyond a certain limit, it may prove fatal. The sewerage has seriously damaged the health of our water resources. Existence on the earth presupposes maintenance of biodiversity and the preservation of the delicate balance between the various elements that constitute our environment.
As a responsible citizen of the earth we need to take responsibility and fight this menace. Vigorous efforts should be made to keep our oceans clean and pollution free. If we do not take action now our future generations will see beautiful oceans only in fairy tales. I want to do my little part in creating the awareness among students like me to save Mother Nature because our very survival depends on the health of our eco-system.