Our fourth Poetry Event at Habilitat, featuring The Habilitat Resident Poets and Artists, Marcia Zina Mager, Kealoha, the First Poet Laureate of Hawaii and hosted by (myself) CONNIE D. is in the can, so to speak.
To Be Released by MARCH 2013~ my working title is:
Navigating CHANGE: Making A Difference
Before closing our Poetic journey, I related an event that happened to my husband, Capt. Tommy D., one fateful day, while out on the ocean in April 2011. He and his crew of three men, David E. Johnson, Dr. Steven Wonderlich and Mike Ordenstein, had three separate encounters with floating garbage that day. Two times the engine had stopped. The second time, they were forced to jump into the water and cut a 1-1/2″ cargo net from the boat’s prop. It was a grueling ninety minutes, as three of the four men had to take a turn in the water.
THE LAST TIME THEY RAN INTO GARBAGE THAT DAY WAS AFTER HOOKING WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS A MARLIN; ONLY TO DISCOVER 40 MINUTES LATER TWO HUNDRED POUNDS OF TWISTED ROPE.
This story entitled NO FISHING TALE, along with my poem was published in the JUNE 2011 issue of THE HAWAII FISHING NEWS.
Fishing photos courtesy of David E. Johnson)
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
should scare the hell out of you.
We don’t even know how big it is
because it keeps growing.
Located somewhere between Hawaii and California
it is one of seven garbage islands
spread across the world’s oceans
funneled and trapped by planetary rotation,
converging ocean currents and wind.
Over 7 billion people inhabit
Planet Earth.
As of 2010
the top four countries are:
- China- 1.3 billion
- India- 1.2 billion
- the United States- 3oo million
- Indonesia-200 million
1.4 million Live in Hawaii alone
And 80 percent of this garbage comes from land sources.
Garbage that
impacts our reefs and wildlife
that has the potential to hitchhike.
that has the potential to hitchhike.
Imagine
barnacles attaching to floating garbage
not normally found in your neck
of the planet
that can infect an
area’s native species.
Ninety percent of these islands contain plastic items
like nylon nets, six-pack rings, balloons,
straws and sandwich wrap.
Water bottles, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags
and billions of plastic pellets called nurdles,
a byproduct of other plastics manufacturing.
Plastic that chokes whales, turtles, seabird, coral and fish.
Brightly colored plastic pellets
that are mistaken
for fish eggs and krill
that are toxic
can magnify over time
across our food chain
and have an effect similar to DDT.
Plastic that does not break down easily in water
that is cooled and coated with algae
shielded from sunlight
and will last well into our future.
Garbage islands growing faster than we can clean them up
Our task begins here
Get Involved
Volunteer to clean-up local beaches and reefs
Suppress further growth
by recycling and reducing the amount
of trash you throw out.
Plant a tree.
Contact your local government representative
Demand that they take action to protect our reefs, stop sewage pollution of our oceans, and take steps to reduce global warming
Encourage your neighbors and friends to spread the word, get excited, It Matters, together we CAN make a difference!
conniededona©1-10-13
L-R Mike Ordenstein, Dr. Steven Wonderlich, David E. Johnson
Corney Press 
This is not your grandmother’s Poetry! Help support Poetry in your schools and campuses, together we can make a difference.
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