Pestilence
I am devoured.
By plastic
And cans
And smoke
And fire.
I am devoured
By waste
And refuse
And the smell rising from the river.
I teeter on the edge
One plastic bag will not catch me.
A million might.
Photo by Teng Yuhong on Unsplash
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Dominic Alapat
A powerful poem on waste and environmental damage! May your poem inspire people to be more environmentally conscious!
Ming Qian
Hey Jaya, I love how this poem emphasizes that it is not just one “plastic bag” that causes environmental damage but the collective effect of many people and their actions. It is therefore unsurprising that fighting climate change will also require just as many helping hands, if not more. Thanks for writing this beautiful poem and sharing it with the world. 🙂
Jaya Avendel
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree that numbers cause damage but are also what we need to start cleaning it up.
Riana.AngCanning
Your words are always so visceral – really painting a picture and making me feel something. I love these longer poems too.
Jaya Avendel
Thank you! I have really come to love writing longer pieces.
Diffusing the Tension
This made me feel really sad. Hopefully whoever gets elected in the US takes a big positive stance on environmental causes!
Jenny in Neverland
Oh wow, this was really powerful. And very apt given the current climate situation.
Clarissa
A very ugly truth painted in beautiful words. Thanks for sharing this Jaya!
BrittnyLee
Brilliant piece:)
bournemouthgirl
A great piece touching on current issues!
Jaya Avendel
Thank you!
Lisa's Notebook
Such a topical piece, Jaya, and very evocative too. You’ll probably roll your eyes but when you talked about plastic bags it reminded me of that spellbinding scene in American Beauty where the wind makes the plastic bag dance. But your words are definitely food for thought, thank you x
Jaya Avendel
I have never seen American Beauty but you describe the scene so simply, I can see it.
Thank you for sharing!
allofbritnee
This is a great poem!!
glowsteady
It’s so sad how true this is for our current climate issues. Very reflective piece x
Sophie
Jaya Avendel
I am glad you found it so!
eob2
Sad truth put into words. 😔
Pragati Mahapatra
Makes perfect sense of the current scenario. Short and precise 🙂
Jaya Avendel
Short and precise are two of my favorite words. 🙂
wandasanderspoems
Excellent poem, very deep
Unwanted Life
Awesome. Given the current global problem with climate change and plastic pollution, it makes the poem even more powerful
Jaya Avendel
Thank you! I wrote this after attending a climate rally.
michaeljordahl
At first your title and all snared me; now I am addicted–hope you keep my fix up!
Jaya Avendel
It as difficult coming up with the perfect name for this piece! I am so happy the thought I put into it was worth it. 🙂
michaeljordahl
😃