Ceramic, 10” x 10” x 10”

Gather Round 

By Melinda Hemmelgarn

Once upon a time
the North American continent
stretched farther
into colder ocean bodies.

A long peninsula
called the state of Florida
dipped deeper
into the Atlantic
where coastal waters
teemed with shrimp
and plump salty oysters.

People who lived close to the earth
bore witness to the ever-rising tides
they sounded alarms
but were silenced.

Climate changes erased and eroded,
sunk whole barrier islands
consumed sugary beaches, till
suddenly, we pulled our heads
out of the sand
pushed through distractions
shut down screens
stopped guzzling oil, banned plastic.

Then,
we could finally see
we are all one
humanity.