Youth
Coeur d'Alene, ID
2020, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
The children
watched their mother drown under her plastic tombstone,
Doomed to live, but never to die.
She is the oyster with her grain of sand
The children
came to know the sandy inlets of her nursery,
Littered with plastic and rotting lives.
Their tears flowed down and cleansed the land
The children
grew into cracked screens holding mirrors against themselves,
Destined to dream of bluer skies.
They hold the world in the palm of their hands
The children
flocked and combed the shores in search of something more,
Fated they saw with open eyes.
Certain are the youth which take a stand
Just as the oyster forms her pearl,
Their innocence will mend the world.
Reflection
When I imagine hope, the first thing I think of are the young people who are just growing up and starting to learn about the world around them. Over the past few years, I've had the privilege to see many surprisingly young activists around the world share their voice and start to make a difference. I can clearly see the passion and activism in our generation, and I'm proud to be a part of it. In the poem, I use the metaphor of the oyster and the pearl to emphasize the point that even though our planet is suffering, there is still hope and that together we can transmute our pain into something beautiful. Having educated myself on the work that is being done to solve the many manmade problems that plague delicate ocean ecosystems around the world, I'm more optimistic about our planet's future than ever. Although the work won't be easy, I have faith that our generation will build a brighter tomorrow.