The World That Used to Shine

The world used to shine.

It would glimmer in the sun and rain

Red was prominent only in the fall

when the trees lost their lustrous green.

Birds would fly with other birds

without regard of the feathers

The bond between ocean, land, and sky was unbreakable.

Even the clouds spoke in tones of joy.

I was young then.

The world used to shine.

And I believed it always would,

Past all my years

Hoping to see its beauty whenever I desired.

But, alas, reality is cruel to all, in its own ways.

Giraffes are now endangered.

The planet is dying.

Children are being murdered.

People are afraid of me for my skin.

The dazzling brown that many force into their bodies to be beautiful

Is a threat if it comes naturally.

We shame those who speak out

And we shame those who don’t.

How is the world to shine its animated glow when we have the nuclear power to destroy it

7 times over.

The world no longer shines

It is overcast by shadows and dark-turned clouds.

Red was a color we had become accustomed to,

The survivors didn’t have much choice.

The eagle suppresses the cardinal

Only because it has grown to hate red.

There is a wall between land and ocean, each dying at their own rate.

The sky is already dead.

The world used to shine

I used to love it.

But now I hate those who made the world

One to pity.

In this poem I’ve expressed my distaste for the actions around the world, and the collective negligence held by the people who have the power to change. The birds represent people, who as kids have no distinction of colour until that is what they are taught. I directly tied in issues around the world, the knowledge of which has made me distraught. I genuinely loved the world. And I still do – what’s left to love. But it isn’t the same from my childhood. I expected change when I grew up, but I didn’t expect it to be this drastic in the other direction. All in all, this poem was written about the world and how, in my opinion, it has become worse than before.

 

Citations:

https://giphy.com/gifs/studiosoriginals-josh-freydkis-globey-world-on-fire-l0HlMURBbyUqF0XQI (Featured Image)