Signaling Spring
Gloomy rain falls down
Worms creep up from the thawed earth
With the sun, fresh grass
Thoughts of Orange-Eating
Eating an orange
With sweet juice on tongue, I think
What did the Earth pay?
What inspired you to write this poetry/haikus?:
For this year’s Earth Week, our school’s climate crew challenged students to create pieces of art demonstrating our connection with nature. Being more of a writer than a visual artist, I decided to write haikus. I wrote my haikus during Earth Week, which was in April, after days on which a seemingly unthinkable amount of rain had fallen. I remember going on walks in between the rainfalls and thinking, “this must be wonderful for the plants,” only to find that, indeed, a couple of days later, green grass started springing from earth that had previously been covered by snow, which is what inspired me to write my first haiku. My second and third haikus were pretty much inspired by exactly what they describe: seeing a chickadee, a bird which I have always found amusing to watch, flying into my backyard, and eating an orange while suddenly considering the environmental impact of it being imported so that consumers like you and me can enjoy them year round.
Why are you interested in the environment/conservation?
Having always loved nature and spending time in it by either hiking, exploring forests, finding joy in seeing and learning about animals or just going on daily walks or bike rides, the environment has always been of great interest to me, especially since realized that with the current rate of human-caused global warming and extinction, future generations may not be able to experience nature in the same way that we do now.
What types of activities/hobbies do you enjoy?
In addition to the nature-related activities which I mentioned above like biking and hiking, I enjoy geocaching, traveling, reading (particularly anything fantasy or fiction), taking the Hogwarts House and sorting quiz other fun personality quizzes, acting, playing tennis, swimming, fencing, and spending time with my cat.
