Green Grass
This blog post is generously provided in kind by Chelsey Trybus. The Double Down blog is also supported by Nevada Humanities’ donors.
Chelsey Trybus is the first place winner of the 2024 Spark! Youth Poetry Competition at the Las Vegas Book Festival. Registration for the 2025 Spark! competition is open through Monday, October 13, 2025.
By Chelsey Trybus
She didn’t ask for help.
She didn’t even want help.
But the waves crashed.
The lightning struck.
The fires burned.
The sun shun the hottest ray,
And yet we chose to turn away.
She didn’t ask for fixing.
As she cried out hurricanes and floods,
Of course it wasn’t a cause of our ignorance.
As we cut down woods,
Of course it was necessary.
She didn’t complain.
And yet we do
For a lack of resources
That she didn’t produce enough of
As we blindly over consumed
The givings she gave
In a hope to be saved
From us.
But she didn’t ask for pity.
The grass turned fake,
Not for her sake,
But for ours,
To provide the water
We choose to view as unlimited.
She never asked for help.
But those dying as a result
Of our actions did.
And we hid
Our acknowledgment
Because if they see,
We won’t be free
To cut down that tree
We may need
For a home,
As we must populate
Our already populated country.
She needs our help.
We need our help.
Our children’s children’s children
Need our help.
Because if the grass isn’t green,
Where is the other side?
Chelsey Trybus is a senior at West Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her heart is set on studying environmental science with the goal of promoting clean and sustainable utilities for our people and planet. She has a passion for reading, poetry, archery, crochet, and advocating for a greener future.
Chelsey Trybus is the first place winner of the 2024 Spark! Youth Poetry Competition at the Las Vegas Book Festival. Registration for the 2025 Spark! competition is open through Monday, October 13, 2025.