Stuck Inside My Shell

There once was a time when I could swim freely in the crystal clear waters. I did not have to worry like I do now.

I remember, enjoying my days, around brightly colored coral reefs. Thriving in the communities that lived there.

Now I look back and find them to be empty, and void of life.

I see pale and murky waters, polluted by oil spills that burn my skin and plastics, that I can't distinguish from the foods I eat. chemically made bands of waste, wrap themselves around my shell. Suffocating me. Squishing my insides together.

I miss the days, were I could look up and see the sun, dancing through the surface of the ocean.

Life was simple then. I did not feel so stuck inside of my shell.