Plastic Oceans

By: Rachel Lam

The ocean waves clash against the cloud-washed azure,

waves roared as life thrived under.

All my life I’ve known the ocean and its quiet nature,

though it was short-lived.

A sudden sense of unfamiliarity washed over me,

I desperately swam towards the surface.

Plastic debris sliced through the atmosphere,

landing with an unstoppable force only one can imagine.

The sun-lit ocean filled with shadows,

as I drowned in my own fears.

A piercing feeling stabbed my back,

I stood trapped, waiting for my impeccable doom.

The bitter waves taunted me,

reaching out with its frigid hands.

Seemingly pushed me around of the ocean surface,

while it leads me beyond my control.

I was surrounded by the place I once called home,

as it beamed with a glance of familiarity one last time,

fractured beyond the reach of time.

I remained helpless as I sank to the ocean floor.

Submerged in despair,

the sky strikes a gleam of hope.

Maybe in another life I shall live,

but for now I shall rest.

Rationale: The aim of my piece is to raise awareness about the harm that plastic pollution causes to marine life. I illustrated how plastic pollution affects wildlife from the perspective of a marine animal, specifically a dolphin. In the first stanza, I describe how plastic pollution wasn’t yet an issue and how marine life thrived. However, as the poem progresses, the issue becomes more and more severe.

Moreover, this poem shows the audience that what we perceive as harmless can actually cause a lot of harm. I chose to talk about this issue because, over the last 70 years, our plastic consumption has only increased. The accumulation of plastic significantly harms marine animals such as fish, turtles, and seabirds, which either ingest microplastics or become trapped in larger debris like fishing nets, bottles, and packaging materials. Hence, I decided to raise awareness about this issue.