Cynthia Torres

Communting Contemplation

Scurrying through the tram, crowds of commuters come to perform the morning ritual to get to work
I pause, take a breath
Oh no
The air is       h e a v y
I’ve lived enough life to be familiar with this and I have no protection and I had wish I was more prepared
like forgetting an umbrella in a storm, i try to forgive my negligence but
I can’t breathe well without a mask

How silly of me to be so careless, the sky is painted so often that i should be used to it’s usual colors
Blue, less familiar now
Orange, to match nearby fires,
Grey, to dust us with ashes,
Blue again, to remind us of it’s fleeting existence and simulate the illusion of no climate change

Hustling through each door, a figure announces to my car
“The government is trying to kill us again!”
Shuffling to make the next PSA elsewhere
I stare aimlessly towards through the window
Negligence in politics is proving his points

They tell us we should be able to dance in the rain
But never wonder to warn us what to do if we begin to drown
I can't help to       s p i r a l
we are all threatened by catastrophe of biblical magnitudes
fiery skies, sinking cities, contaminants in water that will live with generations I cannot fathom
across from the poster encouraging opting to take a bike to work

A child takes their inhaler out in anticipation of a new breath at the next stop
I search the ground for hope, i gaze towards my feet for reassurance
How can we live now?
I reject conformity of a “new normal”

A nurse readjusts her mask before adjusting her father’s
Her father rolls his eyes but looks to be gearing up to work outside
Oh

        no
I have got to do something! We have got to do something! We will not drown! We will breathe! I have
hope!

H o p e
Like a fool, I hold on to her
While our Earth coughs and suffers from this seemingly terminal illness
I still believe that we still have a chance
With so many activists, experts, believers,

Motivation must hold its course
C h a n g e  is within our lifetime
We have all the solutions, they already exist and...
“We are arriving at 181 street.”
Oh, this is my stop.

Cynthia is a California native currently based in New York City. They have been passionate about climate change since their youth and have been an environmental justice and health advocate throughout their undergraduate and graduate studies.