Dear Mr. Rich,
I remember the days
When I could reach up and touch
The Mooon.
I loved touching the Moon.
She was a bright ball of hope
a flawless orb
Who would chat away as
I drifted into sweet slumber
Each night, dad and I would soak in
Her cape of shimmering beauty
I loved touching the Moon.
But I don’t touch the Moon anymore.
Because I can’t touch the Moon anymore
She’s trapped
Begging
Pleading
To be freed
From the pollution prison
She’s forced behind
But then again,
Maybe she’s not being held captive
Maybe she’s hiding from you
Maybe she knows
That you used your bloody hands
To trade your soul
For a green cotton slip
Greeener than the forest you devastated
For the apartment building
Which made you a pretty penny
Tell me, Mr. Rich
Does your cash taste better
After decimating
Lush forests
That were once homes
Of animals who cried out?
Sadly, their cries never beat the
Deafening wail of greed
Rustling around in the pocket
Of your three-piece suit
Tell me Mr. Rich,
When do you open your eyes?
When do you see?
Mr. Rich, I have to open your eyes for you
To help you find that your
Deforestation and industries
Have eradicated species to
The point of extinction
With the amount of lives you take
You should be sent to jail.
Incarcerated for beyond eternity
Better yet, we’ll put you in that
Poluted prison you senteneced her to
So long ago
But I believe we all have good in us, Mr. Rich.
I know you can change.
But you have to try.
You have to set your pride aside
On the ground
At our feet
Show the world you can change
Let us watch as you plant one trillion trees
With your single bloodied hand
That now seems less and less bloody
Let us watch as you tear down
your abominations that
Dry our forests into powder kegs
Let us watch as you trade green
to get your soul back
You know – the one you lost so long ago
Only then, Mr. Rich,
will you be in our good graces
Only then will your eyes open
Only then will you see
Only then will she be free once more
But until then
I just want you to know,
Mr. Rich,
I still remember those days
When I could reach up and touch
The Moon.
Briley Griffin is a senior at Rock Creek High School. She entered a school poetry contest last year and her fellow classmates voted blindly and choose her poem as the 1st place winner. The poetry winners were annouced the first week of May of 2024 and winners received a gift card and gave permission for their poem to be run in the school newspaper.