The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Flotsam, jetsam, and then some

Photo by Jag_cz

an endless expanse 
of blue-green water 

stretching as far 
as the eye can see

but look closer and 
you'll know the truth

here
      plastic bottles bob up and down in the waves
      tangled with fishing nets and discarded ropes
here
      plastic bags twist and turn
      caught in the currents
here
      styrofoam containers 
      break apart releasing

tiny particles of micro-plastic 
that will never biodegrade

this is a place 
where ocean inhabitants 

die torturous deaths
sea-turtles whales dolphins 

mistake plastic for food
ingesting it and choking to death

birds and fish become entangled in 
plastic bags and fishing nets unable to escape

the garbage patch 
is a tragedy

indisputable evidence of
our carelessness

and a warning that we 
must change our ways