Ocean Chorale
Wenham, MA
2019, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Arms of arresting amethyst,
fronds of flaming fuschia filigree,
brain-like bodies of auburn and beige,
spines of reds, roses, and russets
are the intrepid trumpets,
satiny strings, and
pulsating percussion
of the small but mighty
underwater coral orchestra.
Far beyond its own humble size,
its music feeds so much
of the soul of the sea.
Its song composes
only a small percentage of the ocean’s floor,
yet it nourishes
one-quarter of sea life.
But acidification now drowns the reef’s harmonies.
Warmer waters smother its melodies.
The tiny orchestra suffocates from these hostilities.
Someday soon its song will lose its sound.
Its colors will fade where they used to abound.
Only shadowy vestiges will remain,
not the teeming, fertile opus with its potent refrain.
If we, the chorus, rise and sing,
we can curtail the CO2,
mend the ocean’s chemistry,
and enable cooler waters.
Our hymn can ensure the coral orchestra
will play for years to come,
but that will only happen
if we sing in unison.
Reflection
Reflection
While independently researching that topic, I learned about the impact of climate change, warmer waters, and acidity on coral reefs as well as how this mighty occupant of the ocean floor sustains so much life in the sea. I had no idea that something that only occupies about two percent of the ocean floor can nourish up to 25 percent of sea life. Also while researching, I came across the Bow Seat competition and thought that a fun way to convey what I learned about the demise of coral reefs would be to write a poem on the topic. I also spend a lot of time strumming my guitar in a jazz band, which made me decide to draw an analogy between the nourishing power of a coral reef to the similar power of music. To me, music is food for the soul. Because of this project, I now can share my climate change knowledge with others. The more examples we can share about the impact of climate change, the more vivid the problem becomes for people, and the more likely people will be to want to help address it... in unison.