climate justice for mother nature - by: Hanna Grover

ocean

the tranquil waves, whispering me to the limitless sand

the glistening sun, bouncing off the indigo waters

little do we know, a deep truth lies beneath them

the ocean full of being, washes up death on its shore

the sea animals we admire from afar, now choking on the plastic that plunders

sky

the clouds, different shapes, different pictures

the splash of blue that brings us joy

the whistling breeze, running through our hair

our skies now blackened, the clouds now gray

the air we breathe,

dirty

trees

the years of stories they tell

the oxygen they provide

the pillars of the forest, now teared down

by nobody,

but us

soil

the blanket that lies beneath our feet

and the home of many

a symbol of growth, perseverance, and patience

now treated with nothing

but disrespect

sun

the light that brightens our darkest days

and one that hugs the greenery with love and strength

an energy never before seen now evolved into a raging glare

our temperatures incomprehensible, leaving burning embers behind

earth

Mother Nature is weeping, each element now destroyed

as we’ve torn down the beauty she created

now we must come together to reflect on our mistakes

and hand out justice

all before

it’s too late.

Please give an explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem:

When I write poetry, I allow my hand and mind to work together and flow to create a piece. The meaning and main idea of this poem is to shed light and generate awareness on the destruction of our home -- Earth. I brought the poem together with the idea of Mother Nature, and how our planet is her creation. Humans take things for granted and it's time to give the justice our home deserves instead of tearing it apart. I expressed these feelings and goals through this poem, with the hope to send the message of “climate justice” to our reader.

Please explain your writing and thought process behind this poem:

When writing poetry, brainstorming is always a crucial step that needs to be done. Focusing on what you want your reader to feel and what impact or message you want to leave is a large component in poetry. From global warming, to pollution, I wanted this poem to touch on all aspects to allow one to realize the severity of this issue. In each stanza, I create contrast by listing the beauty as well as value of each element, and what we have done to it today to emphasize the main message.

Why have you chosen to write this poem?:

I wrote this poem during Earth Day and I felt like that was a good opportunity to bring attention to an important topic in our society and spread awareness. We should always be working towards improving our environment whether it’s Earth Day or not and doing small efforts like writing poetry will continue to contribute to our goal.