The Known Universe
A beam of light hurtling through the cosmos.
Past stars which generate endless energy.
And Icy wastelands carpeting planets that dwarf our own.
Unfathomably larger than we could possibly imagine.
What is out there?
Is there order to the chaos?
Tranquility to the endless destruction and rebirth?
But how do we fit into the cosmic equation?
The blue marble.
A speck of dust on a paper splattered with the stars of the cosmos.
The anomaly.
Is there anyone out there?
Are we alone?
Or are we just too blind to see what is around us.
Plants and animals.
Life.
We long to escape and traverse the solar system, but we forget to value the inhabitants of our own planet that have been here far longer than ourselves.
We are locked in this cycle of destroying the beauty around us to experience a cheap thrill from material value.
Only to move on after we have ruined it.
Buy more.
Live less.
We go from place to place ignoring what we don’t want to see.
Abuse.
Neglect.
Not bothering to step up and try to change what we don’t want.
Using distractions as the escape.
We spread lies.
The loudest voice is the only one heard.
And at the end of the day we forget to reflect on the world around us.
We are too absorbed in ourselves.
How do we look?
How do we act?
Do they like us?
We fail to see that it does not matter.
In a way we die twice.
When our heart stops beating.
And when we are forgotten.
Billions of people have lived.
And yet we consider ourselves to be the most important of all of them.
I do not have hope for the future.
I have hope for the people that will lead.
Who will take charge and try to patch up this sinking ship.
Create islands of hope in an ever rising sea of insanity.
I would like to think that this will have a profound impact on us.
That we will all change our ways and embrace a new, cleaner future.
But chances are good that you will read this and then move on.
Within a few hours it will be forgotten.
And I honestly don’t blame you.
I probably would too.
I fear that we are already at the point of no return.
All we can do is look back at what we lost.
View the cards on the table and play out our hand.
And at the end of the day it is harder to look inwardly.
To judge ourselves and understand the scope of our actions.
So instead we look to the stars of the night sky.
The specks of light.
The unknown future.
Hello. My name is Elijah Cherland-Narum. I am a 9th grader at St. Peter High School. Creative Writing has been one of my favorite subjects this quarter because I have improved dramatically from the beginning of the year, and I have received a lot of constructive feedback about my writing. I would recommend Creative Writing as an elective class to anyone who is interested in taking it because you have a lot of control over your writing and it is so much fun to share your work with others.
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The following is not technically a poem, but is similar to one. Cities of the World Alphabet Book was a children's story that I wrote, but as it is poetic, I thought I would share it.
Cities of the World Alphabet Book
A is for Athens where ruins run wild
B is for Barcelona where art is not mild
C is for Cairo with Pyramids of Giza
D is for Delhi where markets will please you
E is for New England With food and much more
F is for Florence with art of galore
G is for Geneva a city of stone
H is for Hong Kong where no sky scraper stands alone
I is for Istanbul with architecture to enthrall
J is for Jakarta where buildings stand tall
K is for Kyoto with shrines to adore
L is for London with Big Ben and much more
M is for Moscow with many a palace
N is for New York with statues of prowess
O is for Oslo with Vikings of might
P is for Paris the city of light
Q is for Queens a city within another
R is for Rio with views like no other
S is for Sydney with opera and towers
T is for Tokyo with Sakura pink flowers
U is for Ulaanbaatar the coldest city around
V is for Venice with canals to be found
W is for Washington with monuments to spare
X is for Xi’an with diversity to share
Y is for Yokohama known for silk and fine tea
Z is for Zurich where many live happily