Sparrow
By CM Yeung, 18, Indiana
The sparrow swoops low,
Pleasant chirps and dew drift down
To the friends below.
Grass waves drowsily
And trees shed fluttering leaves
Which float into the cerulean sky.
Puffy clouds drift, soaking up
The vivid colors.
It looks so real that,
For a moment, I almost
Forget where I am.
Because beyond the
Cracked glass of the old picture,
A wasteland rises.
I sit in ashes,
Thick smog settled around me.
The grass is gone, dead.
The trees are withered,
Branches blackened and dry
Sparrows can’t be found.
I am the last one
Standing in this soiled world
All alone.
I never heard the
Pleasing chirp of a sparrow
In a sea of grass.
I can’t imagine
A world beyond the dirt and
Heat that beats my brow.
I was in an international writing program where I was given the assignment to write a poem and make a film about it. I had no experience in poetry, so I wrote several sets of haikus and made it into one poem. I chose to write about climate change and the future because it’s a relevant topic that affects everyone and I typically write science fiction. This piece was ultimately the catalyst that made me start writing poetry.
Instagram: @cmyeungg
