Poetry competition for Youth Visioning for Island Living

1st prize winner (Trachia Simmons)
2nd prize winner (Cherian Gordon)
3rd prize winner (Lesroy Lewis)
4th prize winner (Denika Compton)
5th prize winner (Rosann Gordon)

Have you ever thought of the things we need in life?
Things to support our children,
Husband and wife?
These things are found above,
Below, before and behind us.
Yes my friends, the sea and our
Surroundings should be our main focus.

From the land to the sea and wherever land may be,
The environment should be cared for by you and me.
So, we must be sure that we do not indulge in any harmful actions,
Cause little do we know, it would cause serious repercussions.

We spoil the calm, sapphire blue waters we call the Caribbean Sea,
And allow our air to be filled with smoke until it's impossible to see.
We agree everyday to let our natural resources go to waste,
And then feelings of regret will one day take its place.

Advanced countries are only concerned with their industrial economies
They build blast furnaces releasing poisons and they do as they please
Chemicals of all sorts pour into our lakes and seas
Destroying our marine life and stunting our trees.
With feelings of these, do you think Mother Nature will be pleased?
How can one relax at home and their mind be at ease?

The ozone layer will soon disappear as quickly as the trees.
Listen good, cause you'll forget where you last heard the buzzing of bees
Think about losing the country's unspoilt beauty
And losing the calmness, quietness and its serenity

Soon there'll be nowhere left to laugh, walk and talk,
Cause pollution would have removed even our natural parks
Then it would seem that even the trees don't care
Cause they'll cease to produce blossoms and the fruits that they bear

So my plea, friends, is that we take matters into our own hands
To stop air, water and land pollution
Let's put our minds together and come up with useful plans
That would prevent the environment's soon extinction

Preserving our environment
Is a good source of encouragement
For tourists to come and see
Our magnificent land and seas

Under the sea they shall find
Exotic sea creatures of every kind
So conserve and preserve our marine environment
Cause on this island it's the main source of employment

On this island they shall find
Warm hearted, loving people of every kind
With arts to do and crafts to share
Tasty Vincentian dishes selling everywhere
With our beautiful Caribbean style dresses alike
The splendid colours that bring out their eyes

So don't destroy our beautiful island
But preserve and start doing some conservation
Stop damaging the corals and littering the seas
Stop letting go your waste all over the place
Because that is such a big disgrace

For both ourselves and our tourists too
Our island should be a dream come true
With beautiful green land and crystal clear waters too
So don't destroy our environment
Instead build it up because this little island and its environment
Is our own to love and take care of

So use your brains
And do the smart things
Preserve and conserve
All our island's beautiful sights worth seeing

We must protect the ocean
And the coral reefs too
Otherwise is trouble for me
And you, because:
Heavy fishing ah weigh down the economy
And whaling? Man is blows man,
Pan all ah we.

Wha but polluting? Man
Tha wus than money looting
Cause, dumping cans, bottles and bags
Into the sea, is like bringing
Ghost out of the cemetery.

Sea turtles eggs getting thief
Young lobsters getting eat
And wha but dynamite fishing pan the coral reefs?
Is another story fu tek wey yo relief

But these problems won't go
Unless we learn to conserve,
Preserve and protect.
Conserve the ocean
Protect the reefs
And protect the ecosystem and sea,
Left by God to be taken care of by all ah we

Come on everyone, help me clean this island
It is vitally important and it's part of the solution
They destroy the environment by polluting
And so following is deforestation
And not forgetting soil erosion

The people are becoming careless
Acting as though the environment is worthless
Don't sit there and let the face of the nation fall
It's to be enjoyed by all

The public service needs to do more
In order for the environment to remain pure
It will soon affect all of us
That's why we should help, it's a must

The environment is being destroyed by violence
Alcohol is being abused by adolescents
The face of the environment has been devastated
It needs to be reconciliated

The environment needs a lot of protection
And don't forget that word preservation
Just take it into consideration
And put it in your mind in a very conspicuous position

Don't leave the environment over to contamination
You just have to use your concentration
This environment belongs to you and I
Let's keep it shining till we die

Reduce the amount of garbage
Put it in its special place
Do not pollute the environment
It is there for us to enjoy
So keep it clean and healthy
So we can live to see it another day.

Recycle all your cans and plastic
They can be used for numerous things
Recycle them for the betterment for you and me
Pick them up and we will all benefit
Let's join hand in hand to preserve our environment
So recycle what can be recycled

Reuse all your plastic, cans, bottles and bags
So we can rid the environment of pests
Use them to put food in
Plant flowers to decorate the environment
Beautify it for all our visitors
To come and enjoy our land

Recover all our plants
So we can prevent soil erosion
Reforestation is the best way to go
So plant back all of the trees
To keep our land from washing away
So reduce, recycle, reuse and recover.

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