Saving Places- I thought I saw

Hopefully we all know what we do to the earth. The enormous consumption of Co2 and other dangerous substances, the pollution, are threatening all the living creatures. In the poem named “Saving places- I thought I saw”, written by the 10 year old girl Hannah Tobin, this message is clear and obvious. By describing the natures beautiful creatures and creations she clearly expresses the consequences of the humans “selfish” actions. But this poem has not only got a good moral, it is also well written.

When I started reading this poem, I thought it was some sort of an ovation to the nature, so how the ending of the first verse turned out really surprised me. Of course I was aware that the poem is called “I thought I saw”, but to be honest I expected a poem about a safari in the wildest of Africa. Because of this, I only became more interested when I read the sentence “It’s probably just the light of dawn”. As the ending of verse number2 had the same “conclusion” as the first one, I could see the connection, and suspected that the rest of the verses had the same negative imprint. I also understood that it could not have been written in a present point of view, in terms of that a fertile plain, a sea, an elephant, a kangaroo and so on, all can be found today.  So, instead of describing what will happen in the future, Hannah Tobin writes as they’re all gone already, died out. This made me get some sort of an insight in how it might be, and there is no doubt that it touched me. There is either no doubt that the poem is well written, consisting of well picked words and adjectives.

Rhythm and rime are characteristics when it comes to poems. Rime is not always necessary, but in this case the poem consists both. Considering that it is written by a 10 year old, I was really impressed. By starting every sentence (as well as the title) with “I thought I saw” she has definitely created a good rhythm. The syllables are fitting as well, and even though the meanings of every ending of the verses are quite the same, they are manifold.  This provides a poem that is not boring to read, because there are not too many repetitions. Another thing worth noticing is all the use of imagery. All of the animals, in addition to the plain and the sea, had a corresponding adjective, like for instance “the proud elephant”. Hannah also described what they are doing, so I even clearer could create pictures in my mind. An example could be the kingfisher, flashing his red- orange chest. The author, Hannah, has also managed to build the story in a way that makes the tension rise. Therefore, the last sentence really stands out, and finishes the poem in a great way. “All these things, they could not be- they all died out because of me”, it says. It made me understand the whole poem better, and it came like some sort of a disclosure, that they all were dead and that it was her ( meaning the humans) fault.

Overall, this is a great poem. It consists of a clear message with a good moral, descriptions that once you read them will turn into pictures in your head, and both rhythm and rime. It also has a certain development, and the last sentence is like a disclosure. If there has to be one thing that could be better, it might be the connection between verse number 1 and the ending. Since a plain and a sea neither are humans nor animals, it would be wrong to say “they all died out”. This is not a great mistake though, and it does not destroy my total impression.

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