By Rachel Agyeman, age 17, Maryland

Spring
Small fluorescent animals join together
Into sprawling colonies, growing across millenniums
An undersea civilization emerges
Pillars grow into branching skylines
Soft-bodied leaves, flowers, and mushrooms cover the floor
Young polyps ride currents with their finned neighbors
Weaving through thin, colorful trees and stinging whips
Before settling into extended colonies
A season passes, and warmth arrives to the city

Summer
The surface brightens, the city quiets
Gleaming, branching skyscrapers dim
Vibrant mushrooms and flowering plants fade
Into the returning memories of ivory reefs long lost
Generations of colonies once teeming with life
Now frail and shriveled beneath the waves
The sun a soul-sucking beam, draining all the reef’s radiance
Algae and mucus escape to the surface, clouding the scattered sunlight
A season passes, and the dark city begins to cool

Autumn
As sunlight penetrates the waves slower, the blazing heat seems to weaken
The city’s remaining colors endure, each polyp retains its strength
The skyscrapers continue to stand tall, the plants remain in bloom
Memories of the passing heat reach future generations
Strengthening each one more, prolonging their lives
Preserving the civilization’s vibrancy
The polyps and fish swim freely once again
Through now illuminated paths
Color returns to the bustling city

By Rachel Agyeman, age 17, Maryland. She writes:
“I was born in Maryland and have always lived there, but my parents grew up in Ghana and immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s. I’ve only visited Ghana once during my winter break this year, so I’m not fluent in the native language, which is Twi. I only speak and write English, though I can understand a little bit of the Twi my parents speak to each other. I hope to continue visiting Ghana in the future to stay connected to my family and culture. Drawing and writing are very important passions for me. Having the opportunity to create, either as a comfort outlet or a long-term project, is something I will always value. I will soon be going to college to study psychology and explore some art programs, hopefully finding a way to combine my passion for creating with my desire to understand and help others through my studies. I created this piece for my creative writing class and was inspired by an article I saw during my research about coral having the ability to ‘remember’ past bleaching events. The concept of coral being able to ‘remember’ anything despite not having a brain made me want to write a poem that combined scientific facts about coral with an emotional, personified perspective on the lives of coral reefs.”