'The Beach' by AyanNa
During the summer holidays, Wokingham Borough Council ran a writing competition, Protect Our Broken Planet, in partnership with the Natural History Museum's new exhibition, Fixing Our Broken Planet. I chose to participate by composing a poem on my own experience of the growing issue of pollution, based on my memories of the beach we frequented most during my childhood.
That beach holds a special place in my heart. My first experience of the vastness of the ocean mesmerised me, and it continued to do so every time we returned. Our best pastime was to dip our feet in the cold sea and play with the waves.
What was once a vibrant experience turned into an unpleasant one, with plastic getting tangled in our feet as we played with the waves. More plastic was scattered along the beach. My poem retells that transformation — from the paradise of my younger days to its present condition.
While I miss the experience, it serves as a reminder to others about what we have lost and what we can still preserve. Luckily, in recent years, there have been efforts to restore the beach, and it has started to heal, proving that even small actions can begin fixing our broken planet.
By Ayanna – Year 8