Once It Was

• Bryce Mill, Grade 6
• Poetry
• 2008

I stand breathing deeply,
Fumes causing choking and coughing,
Once it was clean fresh air,

I squat, stunned at the sight,
Dry, blocked, polluted streams,
Once it was flowing, fresh water,

I walk cringing at the damaged trees,
The sound of trees thundering to the ground,
Once it was a luxuriant, thriving forest,

I slouch, staring endlessly,
Observing seagulls swarming over lifeless fish,
Once it was healthy, inhabited ocean,

I lie dreaming of a world where I can…
Gaze at spectacular sights,
Breathe fresh air and run freely
My one dream is of what this world could be.