I was judged

Because I didn’t know.

But I was not alone

In my confusion.

But that did not matter.

I was still dragged.

Dragged from my slumber

To face a monstrosity

Completely new to me

That I soon learned

Was partly my own doing.

The guilt and shame

Changed me.

Changed me into

What I am today.

I know better now.

And now

I work to ensure

Others know too.

 

~Sorting Plastic

 

 

This poem is meant to reflect my first time at a bottle sorting event for my high school environmental club and how I learned about the negative impacts plastic is having on our planet. I wrote this as an alternative form of conveying my literacy narrative for my freshman English course. I chose to write a poem because it is a form of writing I am not completely comfortable with. Poetry is so undefined, which is uncomfortable for a person like me who prefers structure and rules. I decided that this would be a good opportunity to challenge myself while the topic I am writing about is familiar and important to me.

I believe poetry has so much potential to lead the reader in a way that will ultimately be the most effective for them. My poem, in my opinion, has a small level of drama that I believe is lacking in the original essay. This drama is most likely due to the formatting and the fact that I never explicitly name the subject of the poem. By doing this, the poem has potential to either be confusing and unproductive for the reader or be even more impactful. It expands the emotion behind the writing while potentially complicating the message being sent to the audience. In the end, I feel as though this was an effective way to convey my literacy narrative in a shorter and more concise fashion.