KAREN BETTIN

Azurian from Galaxy Plastico

The life giving mojo for an Azurian is plastic. A daily dose is necessary to survive. When half of the population of Galaxy Plastico perished during the plastic shortage of 2017, Azurian scientists scanned the universe for another source of plastic.

In the Milky Way Galaxy, on planet Earth, Azurian sensors detected a floating mass of plastic twice the size of Texas between Hawaii and California and another between Hawaii and Japan. Plastic was found in more than 800 species of marine life from plants to whales. With the average lifespan of plastic at 1000 years or more, the scientists calculated by 2025 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. In the next few years Earth will become the source of the plastic the Azurians so desperately need.

Unknown to the Azurians, Earthlings were waking up to the problems of plastics in the ocean and a few were starting to take action. In 2017, France banned plastic bags and plastic dinnerware. In the United States of America cities stopped serving plastic drinking straws. Will these efforts inspire others to take action? Will more Earthlings change their use of single-use plastics in time to save their oceans? Will Earth be saved from the threat of an Azurian invasion?

Side notes:

• The trash was found on the streets of Portland, OR during a 20 minute walk.

• All statistics about plastics are currently posted on the Ocean Conservancy website.

When pondering this challenge,
out of the blue,
a large yellow butterfly
flew by
on
several
different
occasions.

Resonating
with its symbolism of
change, creativity
lightness, joy and
transformation,
I knew
without a doubt,
the yellow butterfly
was the animal
to bead.