Save the Water, Save the Future

Note: American Sign Language is a visually based language that has its own unique rules and structures; it is not simply a signed representation of English. ASL poetry uses visual patterns (such as repeated handshape, movement, or sign location) to create rhyme and rhythm. Because the poetic qualities of an ASL poem are visual, a written translation does not quite capture the poem’s essence. Below is the poet’s summary of the poem and the judges’ comments.

Summary:
This poem depicts a fishing family in the past, present, and possible future. The first son catches plenty. When he becomes a father, his son goes fishing only to find dead fish, a sign of our water situation. The third generation comes down the same hill to be confronted with a question that only the audience can answer.

Judges’ Comments:
Part of this poem’s strength is in its sense of simplicity and brevity. It is to the point and disciplined in presenting the signs. It depicts three generations—seen in three different classifiers for one person, two persons, three persons—coming down to the water, and the diminishing quality of water life and fishing in those three generations.

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Dakota Daniels, age 11
Fremont, California
California School for the Deaf
Teacher: Rory Osbrink