We Are Our Own Enemies
Hopewell, NJ
2018, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Our planet was balanced
Mother Earth wore a smile
But since we’ve been here
We’ve made Earth more vile
Wherever we walk
We leave hungry, licking flames
We’re destroying everything
Our world will never be the same
Mother Earth keeps fighting
Against the holes in her shield
But she will soon falter
For the storm will not yield
The polar bears cry
In this smoldering heat
If the water keeps rising
How are they to eat?
Our oceans are dying
The coral’s turned white
Creatures face demise
unable to fight
And despite all these deaths
The bugs are all thriving
Their diseases will diminish
All chance of surviving
Will our earth be destroyed
And our lives all be done?
Or is there something we can do
If we join as one?
Reflection
I wanted to create a poem that would inform the world about all of the effects that climate change has on our globe. I wanted people to know how this would not only affect the animals and plant life of our planet, but that it would also hurt us. I really wanted my last few lines to send a spark of inspiration to the readers' hearts—I wanted them to want to do something. I feel like if more people knew about this issue and how badly it will affect the future, they would feel empowered to do something. I certainly did. So this poem, shown through Mother Earth’s eyes, is here to inspire readers. Why be Mother Earth’s enemies when we can easily become her friends?