When the World Burns & They Tell You It’s Fine
Simi Valley, CA
2022, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
We go to the ocean
and it’s not blue anymore.
The whole house is on fire—
not just the roof. It’s fine.
It’s a bit warmer now,
the murky water a silky blanket
enveloping our toes. It’s fine.
We lit our own fuse and now
we’re shifting in our seats, charred.
Why would a warmer summer—
a warmer year—be a bad thing?
We come to the beach for a reason—
the heat feels good on our bare backs.
It’s fine. The door to a world where
things could be different is starting
to creak shut. If we stay inside
and latch the windows, it’s fine.
We can still see the ocean from afar.
I am watching the water rise,
the tide rushing out to us,
calling our names and not pulling
back in. It’s fine.
Reflection
Despite the urgency of our current climate crisis, our attention is often pulled elsewhere as we get swept up in everyday life. When all types of natural disasters and bad news about the state of our environment are so common, it's easy to think that this is normal, or even that it's okay. In this poem, I explored that idea of rationalizing the climate crisis and telling ourselves it's okay, whether that's out of fear, denial, ignorance, or any other emotion or situation. The speaker is irrationally positive, which only draws attention to how serious the damage to our planet and to our oceans is.