by Madison Graham   

I look eagerly at my state in which I live 

Searching for what could be better 

Where I live is so important to me 

She is flawed with the consequences of our actions 

What is this place that I call home? 

 

Running past acres of bright yellow fields 

Her fresh crops grow rapidly in time for summer seasons 

Rows of corn and tobacco replaced by rows of houses and buildings 

Dull gray structures stand where once thrived lushful plants 

What happened to this lovely place that I call home? 

 

Her trees towering high into the sky stretching far above 

Limbs waving bright green leaves to the new day 

Hewed for the demanding industries and greedy factories 

Hollowed bodies become hideous power lines 

What happened to this flourishing place that I call home? 

 

Clean air fills my lungs while I inhale deeply 

The breeze brushes my hair softly with its gentle hands 

The deafening sounds of horns and roaring engines pass by 

I can no longer breathe with the poisoning of her precious air 

What happened to this glorious place that I call home? 

 

Blankets of fresh grass layered over vast stretches of land 

Her valleys sloping wide, hills reaching with hope 

Colorless pavement filled with cracks and holes now defiles her beauty 

She is destroyed by the roads that drain life from her grounds 

What happened to this lively place that I call home? 

 

Waves fall gracefully upon her shores and envelop the gorgeous white sands 

Shorebirds glide peacefully through the warm, salty air 

The ocean contaminated with the carelessness of our city’s decisions 

Turtles suffer with plastic nooses tightly wound around their necks 

What happened to this beautiful place that I call home? 

 

And in a vision, I so desperately wish to see her 

Revived and healthy once again 

Filled with her colorful flowers blooming and waves glistening in the sunlight 

Healed from the scars of our damaging industries and polluted waters 

South Carolina is this place that I call home