Lesina Poisiano

Year 10

Don Bosco

My world is beautiful.

It is a place of peace and tranquillity. It is a safe haven for the weary and provides shelter and relief for the afflicted. Life moves at the pace that God had in mind when he created the sun to keep us warm and the fruits of the earth for the taking. It is the true definition of the Garden of Eden, a slice of heaven on earth.

Samoa. My home. An island of dramatic beauty with its jagged peaks of indigo and grey rising from the white beaches to its awesome pinnacles against the blue sky. Although it is small, everything in it seems to be larger than life. Here is where the trees are laden with a constant harvest of luxuriant fruit and where the climate is almost perpetually delightful. It is the home to some of the most exotic and beautiful birds in the Pacific. They greet us with their melodic chirping every morning and their soulful melodies at night. The breeze is pleasantly mild when a puff blows off the land. It explodes with the rich aroma of vanilla lingering in the air. It is the most exquisite perfume that can be imagined and flows throughout the land gently and gracefully.

Samoa is one of nature’s most inspired creations with a lagoon resembling an artist’s palette of blues and greens. It boasts miles of pristine white sand beaches, and fabulous coral gardens. Tiny holes inhabited by translucent crabs can be found on its shores as well as glittering shells that are built like spiral towers. With sand that turns from brilliant white to warm caramel when the sea caresses it, there is no doubt that this is a stunning place. A place of dramatic beauty, warm waters and a gentle climate. It is in literal terms, the nearest thing on earth to Pradise. “DING. DING, DING, DING, DING” I am rudely awoken from my deep slumber. The sweet singing of the birds that had soothed my mind was replaced by the sound of the death bell signalling the ending of another life. Its sound seemed to resonate from all around me. It didn’t take me long to realise I had had another one of my fantastical dreams. 

Samoa. My home. It isn’t a haven for the afflicted, it causes pain and suffering. It doesn’t offer relief or sanctuary for the weak; it causes fatigue and hopelessness. It is not a beacon of hope; it is a place of despair that is slowly dying. Strangled by its people and their machines that they were once so proud of. The air is heavy with the scent of smoke that is generated by factories that we once boasted so highly of. Trees that were once lush and green now stood solemnly with its few leaves tinted brown by the poisonous air. Its native birds which once sang so beautifully for its people disappeared. Samoa was no longer a place alive with the sounds of wild life and laughter. Instead it was a place of woe and anger. 

I have heard stories of how Samoa used to be – an island of beauty rivalled by none. And how people from all over the world strived to visit its shores. People claimed that was more than 20 years prior but it seems like a century ago.

How can a world that was so majestic and natural become so lifeless? How can such extensive damage to our environment be done in such a short amount of time? And just like Adam who was sent out of the Garden of Eden for being disobedient to the Lord, we were shut out of Paradise for all the damage we had done to the environment. 

This is my real world. This is the reality I was born into - waking up every day to see a grey sky and a brown world and having the death bell toll every day, as it tallies the death of its people. I lie in bed unable to move. I am bedridden and I know that my time is short. I do not fear dying; in fact I embrace it. I smile as death touches my soul with its cold hands. I know there is a place for me. Some place as beautiful and as pure as how Samoa used to be. A real home.

The world is full of problems and troubles of every sort – diseases, pollution poverty, ignorance, religious confusion, war terrorism, crime, violence, hunger oppression, slavery and much more. The passing of time brings more problems, not less. Never has the world had so much yet been so miserable. Depression, unhappiness, confusion, frustration, unfilled hopes and dreams, dissatisfaction, emptiness and HOPELESS MISERY describe humanity the world over. There are many pursuing happiness but in all the wrong places!

Existing problems grow collectively worse instead of better. We are naught but a small island. We don’t have much but we are happy. Let us strive to find better ways to protect and save our small piece of paradise from the negative effects of the world. In all honesty I love my world just the way it is.