Water – The Monster of Our Own Making
Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago
2021, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
I make up the identity of a pair of twin islands in the sea
Islands so glorious because of me
Separated in my warm body, yet I provide the channel for their people to be together
I breathe life into their bushy green hair of trees and hillsides
Create yellow sandy beaches for them to boast about
I know the happiness that I bring to them
I hear the sigh of relief from cocoa farmers when I fall from the sky
The peals of laughter as families play in me at Maracas Bay
The murmurs of guides as I bring my leather skin children onto their shores to give birth safely
I know my glorious twin islands where I am loved
Allowed a whole season of my own
But you see, I worry for my glorious twin islands
I am no longer the same
Not the same as I was ten thousand years ago
I feel, different
I grow everyday bit by bit
Heating up to temperatures beyond my control
I worry for my glorious twin islands
Because every year
I know something more
Something darker than what I knew before
I know the taste of their sandbags as I crash against their doors
Their gut-wrenching sobs once they realize that I am responsible for the ruin of their
belongings
The heat-filled curses when the worn nets they have dipped into me return filled with less
I know their disappointed shouts when they turn on spouts and I am not there to come out
I fear,
That as the years go by, the cries will grow deafening
That I will keep flooding my glorious twin islands
Robbing them of their homes,
Livelihoods,
Kin
I fear,
That whatever is causing me to change, is transforming me into a monster
Like the ones that you used to dread in the dark
I worry that I will no longer be a life preserver but ender
Of the life swimming around their coral reefs as I become more acidic
Of the plant babies who I used to grow, as the clouds sporadically starve them of me
Of the people who used to visit me every weekend, as I now begin to bring them extra
pollutants and disease
I worry, for my glorious twin islands
That I will no longer deserve the white spot on their flag
That they will no longer know of me joy
But destruction.
Reflection
Reflection
Trinidad and Tobago has always been a country focused on water. Unlike many other countries around the world, we do not have winter, spring, summer, and fall. We only have two seasons: dry and rainy. Trinbagonians also tend to love the beach; many people of our islands attempt to go everyday if possible. Water is essential to us, and not just for drinking. It is one of our main tourist attractions, like the Buccoo Reef in Tobago, and even has a home on our country's flag. The white on our flag actually represents water, along with purity and equality. I have always loved how water seems to be the bridge between our two islands. It is the entity that connects us as 'one country.' Our ferry is referred to as 'The Sea Bridge.' When writing my poem and thinking about how important water is to my country, I felt a lot of anxiety and sadness. My first step in creating this piece was to write how much joy water brings to my fellow countrymen. However, my heartbreak grew as I realized global warming is changing water into something we would no longer be happy about, like the excess flooding that my country heavily suffers from. I felt like we would be losing part of what makes us ‘trinis.’ I wanted to convey in my piece the anguish water would feel to suddenly be changing into something it did not recognize in itself. I wanted to convey how innocent water was in its transformation--that both us and water would be powerless to stop it destroying people's lives and upsetting nature's balance because of things humans do. I wanted to humanize water and give it feelings so people would come to better understand the damage we are doing to it and how significant water is to many aspects of our lives--similar to how mothers are involved in many aspects of our lives, including sustaining us, but we take them for granted. Water is something that we cannot take for granted or it will be our detriment. I know the thought of not being even able to enter the ocean would devastate my country's happiness. The thought of water, which has always seemed like a part of us, becoming a thing we Trinbagonians fear is unacceptable to me. I feel like I want to do something, and doing this piece has made me realize I must do my part to ensure that the ocean, and water in general, remains usable for us.