Swimming, observing colorful coral
and vibrant fish from above.
The hustle and bustle below,
a kaleidoscope of colors.
Mesmerized, blissfully unaware
of the synthetic plume
creeping towards me.

Shifting my gaze,
swaying plants morph into fishing nets,
lively animals change into bottles,
my oasis, reduced to a garbage patch.
A pit in my stomach, slowly being filled with microplastics,
sinking underneath man-made islands of waste.

My future, discarded.
Our future, disregarded.
A timer, already elapsed.

Me, a child.
Me, incapable.
Me, alone.
What can I do?

I keep swimming,
searching for others trying to stay afloat,
others in need of a school,
others creating collective safety
despite the suffocating situation.

Together we are determined,
Together we move with purpose,
Together we can still swim to safety.