NATURE Poem: Melting Ice, by Xinying Elisa He

We were fraternal from womb,
opposite views from a coin.
The only children, you and I,
Birthed to balance, though not join.

Then one day he arrived,
tearing our bond with his cry
Brother Three: Brother Man.
Me against you two combined

He cried and played,
Screamed and cawed,
courting Fire’s attention,
learning to burn and to thaw.

Then I was left,
my form ever cold.
No brother on my side,
Retreating from pole to pole.

The two culprits burn
my pale flesh to the ground
cackling at my tears,
as I slowly melt down.

Author’s Note: Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere have
increased by over 50%, meaning the current CO2 concentration is more than double what it was before the
industrial era began. This statistic scared me, so I wanted to convey this abandonment of equilibrium through Man’s
unquenchable desire for heat and energy.