by Chantal Peña Martinez
In youth, you put faith on bonds held by trivial facts like favorite colors or who you tag at recess. Differences melt better than butter. Time passes and people become more aware of a world presented in venn diagrams. You study classes, backgrounds, and hair, or simply who might help you pass the exam. People start finding megaphones supporting what they stand for. Others stick to pepper spray, scared to live another day. Hear the gunshots and fireworks, set off by politics, religion, and war. Score a dream job, strive, and perform. Follow hopes, pick a door. In place of wealth, here’s a chore. Don’t forget, tomorrow you gotta do more.
About the Contributor & Piece
Chantal Peña Martinez (she/her) is a senior visual arts major with a concentration in photography. She is also a proud immigrant and first-generation student. Besides her love for photography, Chantal loves to write and has written many poems and prose pieces, using writing as a second creative outlet.
Earth Lore is a reflection on how often we humans, as we grow up, focus more on our differences than our similarities. We have different ways of developing and maturing, but in the end we should all strive to do our best and spread kindness.