we took to the streets
Seoul, Republic of Korea
2023, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Climate Hero: Seo-Kyung Kim, Youth4ClimateAction
and then we sued our government. we
heard what they refused to hear; the Earth
pleaded for help in the corner there, shaking
violently, her moss-covered bones and flesh
flying into the abyss. and we were there,
rubbing circles across her back,
charred and dry. we are here, in this war
against our leaders. we are here
& smell the stench of greed seeping
off those who hear her but choose to
stick a finger in both ears. we choose
to listen. her whimpers & mourns coat the
forefront of our minds, assailing us
with every plea. we sued our
government, we begged it to listen.
Reflection
In South Korea, we feel the effects of climate change very directly. With the dangerous amount of pollution that forced us to wear masks even before we heard of COVID-19, many of us grew up learning to cope with the impacts of our own exploitation of the environment. I decided to write a poem about Kim Seo-kyung, a young woman part of the Korean climate action group, Youth4ClimateAction, who filed the first climate lawsuit in Korea’s constitutional court in March 2020. Disappointed by the glacial speed of the government’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Youth4ClimateAction garnered support from lawyers all around the world to press legal charges. I chose to write a poem because I wanted to clearly showcase the perspective of members of Youth4ClimateAction, and youth in Korea in general, who must watch society continue to ignore climate change. I truly believe that all those who are aware of this problem must speak up and grab whatever sort of attention they can. We need to foster collective understanding of the gravity of climate change and establish collective, inclusive goals to combat it.