Day 24 – Elegy

Sparkling blue, Crystal clear

Pure water sustained us all

Poisoned by chemicals, Choked by plastic

We took nature for granted

What if we thought to change

Questioned what goes down our drain

Cut down on waste and switched to eco

If we start now we could undo

Reduce your waste

Find green alternatives

Bring back our ocean

Of health, vitality and life

*****

Day 24’s challenge

For Day 24 the prompt is “an elegy – a poem typically written in honor or memory of someone dead. But we’d like to challenge you to write an elegy that has a hopefulness to it. Need inspiration? You might look at W.H. Auden’s elegy for Yeats, which ends on a note suggesting that the great poet’s work will live on, inspiring others in years to come. Or perhaps this elegy by Mary Jo Bang, where the sadness is shot through with a sense of forgiveness on both sides.”

It felt strange to write a elegy for someone still here. With Earth Day recently taking place, my impact on the planet is at the forefront of my mind. The images of our seas plastic pollution is very disturbing and that is where I drew my inspiration for today’s poem.

If we carry on as we are then our beautiful oceans will be ruined. There is still time for us to change and turn the situation around. It’s not just for us but also the creatures we share our planet with. Water is vital to all our existence and it is beautiful.