NaPoWriMo Day 10: Piranhas

Okay, so this poem (that for awhile was a loose idea for a song) is about the destruction of the rainforest and a certain occasionally vicious creature (towards humans) that lives there that gets revenge. I think piranhas are often feared and also misunderstood, so this is my way of giving them a valid reason to be angry. It is rather dark, but I wanted a way to express the complex problems that come along with the destruction of the Amazon rainforest through a different perspective. Piranhas are just one of many species in danger in this area of the world. I also wanted to represent the true cost of globalization and corporations that exploit this area of the world for resources who do not belong there.



You chop down the trees

At the basin of the river

Where we swim

You’re invading our space

It’s not your place

You pollute and poison

Water that was once fresh and clean

This is our home

You’re invading our space

It’s not your place

We are slowly suffocating

From a lack of oxygen

Our anger is long brewing

You’re invading our space

It’s not your place

You will regret

Taking what is not yours to keep

We will seek revenge

You messed with the wrong river!

When we snap our teeth

You better not breathe…

You messed with us…

When we crunch our jaws

You better leave…









NaPoWriMo Day 8: Cooler, Warmer

Okay, so this poem is sort of inspired by something that has very little to do with climate change or environmental ethics. It is inspired by the horrible slogan for Rhode Island tourism (“cooler, warmer”) that we Rhode Islanders were revolted by and demanded they do not use (after spending millions of tax dollars on the campaign, of course). Here is a link to a news article on the subject. While I am not interested in coming up with a new slogan for my state, I am interested in repurposing the slogan for raising awareness of environmental issues, and it works pretty well I think! 😉

Once Cooler, now Warmer

Rising temperatures in the oceans cause problems for sea creatures as bone crushing predators migrate (for more information on the subject and my inspiration, go here)

The south

Once warmer

Is now hotter

The north

Once cooler

Is now warmer


Predators like sharks and rays

Were absent in the waters

Of the poles

If the water gets warmer

They move where it’s cooler


Suddenly, the soft sea creatures

Who live

In the farthest points of the planet

Will be consumed by bone crushing predators

The balance will be disturbed

When the waters get warmer


Field Trip #3 Saturday, March 6

Field Trip #3 Saturday, March 6


When I was given the task to go on nature field trips, in my mind I had quite ambitious goals for where I’d go when the weather improved. I wanted to go to all the prettiest, coolest, most challenging locations I could find. Some would require a bit of driving. But then in practice, something else happened once I started doing them. I wanted to find the cool trails and nature areas, without having to travel much at all. Last Saturday, I drove less than five minutes to an elementary school I had attended as a child that has a nature path behind it that I had never once explored. I could have walked there instead of driving, it would have been better for me and the environment, but I was somewhat short on time.

I couldn’t figure out the name of the nature trail until I visited it again yesterday, and took the picture above. It’s called the Hampton Meadows Greenbelt, located in the town of Barrington, RI.

The first thing I noticed was the duck pond. There were lots of Mallard ducks being quite vocal actually. I wish there was a way to attach the video of their noises I took here. This picture will have to suffice:

duck pond 1

I first focused on exploring the area with trails directly behind the school, but there wasn’t much there really.

Then I found a longer path on the other side of the pond which was quite nice. There were so many bird sounds, aside from the ducks off in the distance.

The trail was pretty well kept. In the muddy areas there are wood paths to cross over as pictured in the picture to the right above.

One thing I noticed was a lot of downed trees and some that looked like they were chopped to clear a path when the trees would be otherwise blocking the trail. I wonder what the rules and regulations for this sort of stuff is, because I know you can get in trouble for disturbing the trees, but I don’t know if that applies to when they’re down.

Here’s a series of photos I took of fallen trees. We have had some severe weather over the past few years that has probably contributed to this issue.

I also came across a tree branch that was in a perfect arch shape, and wondered how it got like that:

perfectly round


I was intrigued by these patches of green:

There is a stream that runs alongside the trail for part of the time:


I was sad that I was short on time, because I was enjoying my walk in these woods so much, and the trail seemed to go on indefinitely from what I could see, that I was wanting to explore more.

I ended up doing so a few days later, on Wednesday with my mom who had also never been here before.

I was in awe that there are such beautiful places to explore so close to me, and I can’t wait to visit more frequently and see the changes the seasons bring.