I see a community joining together.
General welfare requires
the water resources of the State
be put to beneficial use.
I hear words of encouragement.
I feel at ease.
Any water now appropriated
is hereby declared to be a public use.
I remember the glistening ocean.
Cascade of marine biological diversity.
I see creativity.
I hear peace together with such lands.
I feel nature
Shimmer.
There is hereby granted
all necessary rights of way in, over,
and through certain public lands.
I see rocks.
I see footsteps
for the present and in the long term.
For the purpose of constructing,
operating, and maintaining aqueducts,
canals, ditches, pipes, pipelines,
flumes, tunnels, and conduits.
I hear the peaceful sound of a waterfall.
I see waves around me.
For conveying water for domestic purposes.
Subject to the regulation
and control of the State
in the manner to be prescribed by law.
I remember beautiful waters flowing.
I feel calm and relaxed.
To the fullest extent
of which they are capable.
I see water connecting
nature, animals, and people.
I hear the waves of life.
To ensure the conservation
and sustainable use
of marine biological diversity
of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
I see dolphins dying.
I hear water splashes.
I feel lost.
Protect, preserve, restore and maintain
biological diversity and ecosystems.
Strengthen resilience to stressors
including climate change,
ocean acidification,
and marine pollution.
I remember kindness.
Strengthen cooperation
in the use of area-based management tools,
including networks of marine protected areas.
I see a mandrill.
I hear a black stork.
I feel flamingoes.
Support food security
and other socioeconomic objectives,
including the protection of cultural values.
I remember every last one.
I hope for the best.
For the present and in the long term.
For the benefit of present
and future generations.
Reduce.
Reuse.
Recycle.
I pledge to care.
I pledge peace.
I pledge to save the earth.
I pledge to submerge myself,
soak and seep in
what it means to loom and lurk
within the pools of life.
General welfare requires
I see hope for the future.
Any water now appropriated
is hereby declared to be a public use
I hear birds chirp.
I feel peace.
For the benefit of present
and future generations.
I pledge to remember what unites us.
—
This community poem is composed of lines from graphic poems crafted during a workshop organized by Skyline College’s Critical Global Citizenship Education Project, with support from Dr. Pia Walawalkar, Professor Rob Williams, Professor Rachel Cunningham, Dr. Susanne Schubert, and Professor Chelssee De Barra, and facilitated by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Emerita Aileen Cassinetto.
Lines draw from the students’ personal lyric lines as well as from legal texts including the 1879 California Constitution, the Raker Act of 1913, and the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, entered into force on 17 January 2026, though not yet ratified by the United States as of 11 March 2026.
Contributors: Andrea Fuentes, Daniela Green, Estrella Sosa, Hail Webb, Hnin, Isabel Glace, Jenna De Leon, Jose Venegas, Karmela Madarang, Krounyx Bolleser, Lin Mae, Michael, Phatthira Sathitwut, Rian Gabriel, Swan Oo, Thant Thiri Lin, as well as participants who chose to remain anonymous.
