Burnt

By: crazyanaestheseologist

Posted on June 1, 2024

Illustration Title: Blaze

Illustration by: Julianna Ma

Medium: Digital

Size: resized from 2048 pixels x 2048 pixels

Year: 2024

I felt oppressed and suffocated, so I cringed, 

I held my breath, as the smoke choked me. 

I felt my lungs squeeze, 

As I started to lose my breath, 

Every particle of oxygen had the smallest volume with the tiniest breadth. 

My body was warm, the situation was dire, 

At the top of the hidden tower, stuck in the fire. 

Metal bars turning bright orange, 

like the hues of the sunset, 

Why did I not return home, 

before the sun set? 

There were no windows,

No prince charming beneath the tower, waiting,

My long hair half-burnt, I had less than an hour,

Before the flames filled the room

And engulfed me, 

That would be the end, doom

My head started to spin, as the heat pierced into my body, I tried to focus at a point on the wall, 

Wondering,

‘What is the point of the wall?’ 

If I couldn’t break it down, and escape, 

If my fate had decided that I had to leave the world in ashes 

Description:

This poem was inspired by the movie Rapunzel where her tower is burnt down due to the wildfires caused by the rapid climate change in our world today. The poem contains themes of climate change as well as helplessness. Although this poem may trigger some part of the audience, it is a powerful poem that reaches out to readers who have witnessed or have been involved in similar experiences related to climate change and natural disasters . As we all know, the tower serves as an integral part for the progression of the plot. Without it, Rapunzel does not have a saviour and never has the chance to explore her identity, hence leading to her fate in leaving the world in the form of ashes. 

[Writing Editor: Kimberly Nguyen]

[The End]