The Five Stages
A geology student’s plea for helping the planet
by Victoire Soumano (’23)
I wrote the poem that follows for the Climate Teach-In that took place in March of
this year to express how some Westminster students and I feel about the current climate-change
crisis. I hope you find inspiration to take action
through these lines.
Stage 1
Our hearts drop to the pit of our stomachs as the sand flows down in an hourglass
There is no way to pick it back up
To make it beat with excitement once again
Everything surrounding us seems bleak
The leaves a dull green
The grass turning brown
The sky grey
The soil dry and cracked
The beauty around us seems to fade like red Saharan dust in the Harmattan wind
The planet we call home is withering to nothing
What even is the point anymore?
Stage 2
Why is everyone so quiet?
I feel my voice hide inside my throat like a coward
I look around and everyone else is struggling like me
We scream without a sound
Silence is supposed to be louder than words but even she is quiet
We scream again
Still silence
Our blood boils and our breaths shudder as we hear another tree fall, another town flooded, another glacier melt, another forest burn
Stage 3
The sand continues to flow down the hourglass and our hearts sink with it
We stop screaming
Letting our bodies melt into puddles on the ground
Melt like the glaciers and collect like flood waters
Well, it is what it is
Stage 4
It starts like a drop of water or perhaps a gentle breeze
It evolves to a stream snaking itself around our feet or a gust of wind wrapping itself around our shapeless soft bodies
Soon enough we are carried by these mighty waves shaped by the mighty wind with the strength of a hurricane
Our bodies are remolded, new strength coursing through our veins
Our eyes flutter open to a crowd
A crowd of people like us
Ready to work
Work to rebuild our home
One farm at a time
One solar panel at a time
One action at a time
How are we going to use this newfound strength?
Stage 5
Our hearts beat again to the rhythm of hope
The cracks in the soil start to be filled with wildflowers and possibilities
The sky starts to clear, grey fading to reveal a beautiful light blue
Streams and rivers snake their way back to dry beds
Change has begun
Visit gps.bard.edu/world-wide-teach-in for more informationabout the worldwide Climate Teach-In event.
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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