In Dreamland I Weep

In Dreamland I weep at mirages of
foliage: of oak leaf and aster, of maple
and birch and bee balm and pine, of
velvety skies ajar, untouched by

footprints of smokestacks, thick and
hazy and perilous and ready to tread
upon the earth if it ends in grossing
profit. In Dreamland I weep at mirages

of the Great Barrier Reef: of vibrant
rainbow hues of anemone and coral, of
snapper and mollusk and clown fish and
eel, of clear waters untouched by

plastic bags, bottles wringing sea turtles’
necks and oil oozing down at low tide, the reefs
bleaching white, becoming ghosts of
themselves. In Dreamland I weep at mirages

of the Amazonian Rainforest: of bonobo
and gibbon, of toucan and caiman and
iguana and sloth, of sweeps of serene
savannas and swamps, untouched by

slash and burn farming and the expulsion
of thousand-year-old trees to raise cattle
and to farm the food to feed the cattle, of
harvesting lumber and spices and coffee
and what have we done to make room for
ourselves? What have we done?

By Lexi Kennell

Biography:

Lexi Kennell is an American author and is a fourth year English writing student at the University of Pittsburgh. Although Kennell made her debut in poetry, she has since found a passion for short stories as well as nonfiction essays. Her inspiration for the style of fiction writing stems from modern Japanese fiction and 1970s American literature, however, the inspiration behind her stories’ content has ranged from dystopian America, 1960s France, and the economic, social and cultural issues of modern society.