The rising of the sea

By Kara Lewallen

The rising of the sea…

Oh, how very troubling it is to me.

Goodbye sandy beaches where surfers go to crest the waves.

Goodbye to beach towel heaven where wrinkled skin soaks up the rays.

Farewell to habitat amongst the sand dregs.

Where will the sea turtles go to lay their eggs?

I once knew an island or 100 islands that floated so spectacular in the blue waters.

Now, they are gone... and how about those sea otters?

Rainbows of corals... a garden in the ocean.

How to restore them… is there a mathematical quotient?

Those white mountains of ice and a powerful white bear claw,

all just a memory of when glaciers stood tall.

New York City, Miami, San Francisco, and Baltimore, you had your heyday,

but now... you will be no more.

East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast it makes no difference...

The water is rising, no matter your preference.

What will you drink when the salinity of the sea fills your sink?

What will you grow when your soils are full of salt and your plants wither and die?

It makes ME want to cry.

Will going to the beach ever be the same again?

When sea levels rise,

mountains shrink...

Now, what do YOU think?

From El Salvador with a smile

By Kevin Melendez

When people ask me where I am from, I usually say El Salvador even though I was born in Virginia. I don’t exactly know the reason, but maybe it’s because I’ve been speaking Spanish longer than English? Is it because the things I do are influenced by my Hispanic culture? I used to hate saying El Salvador because I thought people would judge me.

Everything I am, feel, and think is based on one question.

The people around me care about me, so why should I let them down?

Now that I’m older, I take into account where I came from. When my parents tell me that the reason they came here was for a better future for me, I have no choice but to try at school, because if I don’t, I’m afraid they will say that they came and immigrated to this country for nothing. I am afraid of the future, the pressure, my life as a whole. But I keep a smile because that is the most important thing in life. So when people ask me where I’m from, I will happily accept my heritage and culture, and will say El Salvador with a smile.