Writing Contest Winners 2017-2018
First Place Winner, Grades 3-5
Kate Wolfson
Grade 5, Brackett Elementary School, Arlington
Heather Lowe, Teacher
Stages
Before
Dead fish
Dead plants
Laying upside-down in piles
And piles of rubbish and debris.
Junk and jellies and jobs lie still
In the dirty waste zone
known as Boston Harbor.
Waste with minimal treatment
Dumped into our murky water.
"Dirtiest harbor in America,"
"A swim in the harbor means a trip to the hospital," They say.
Animals poisoned
Plants die in the midst of trash
Dumping, killing, trashing
People can't swim
Can't fish
Can't enjoy their summers in the Boston Harbor.
Cleanup
Workers from around the country
3.8 billion invested in
Treatment facilities.
The dirty
The unkind
Now finally being taken away
and ridden of detritus.
But it's not simple.
Not straightforward.
No.
It's hard
It's tedious
And it will take years.
But
The cameras are clicking
The reporters are typing
And the people, plants, and animals will return-
Someday.
It's done
Over
The cleanup is finished
The plants and the food webs can grow
They can survive
The animals can live and provide
They, too, can survive
The people can now swim
The water is no longer dirty
It's clear and glorious
It's open
Memories of heaps and heaps of trash.
Fade away.
The tourists come back
The hotels are thriving
The fishermen shout with glee.
Money is made
Dreams are completed
The harbor, once dirty, is free.
Page 1 of 14