Sea-Rise, a poem
Sea-Rise by John Englander
In Greenland, Antarctica, and beyond
the ice is melting into rivers
giant glaciers gradually soften
gravity guides them surely to sea
Inexorable, unstoppable
we are impotent to halt the rivers of ice
two hundred thousand in number
mostly beyond our sight and mind
Unseen but in control of our coastal world
frozen waters are changing form
our ocean planet is reminding us of our place
our connection to the sea
Steady shores lured us, invited us
to build bigger and bigger
as if we were in command.
silly us
We have awakened the sleeping polar giants
a sea change has just begun
this is a new epoch
welcome to the anthropocene
It is a revolutionary reality
the sea is rising. slowly now
she is giving us time to adapt
if we dare look at the future
King tides make it clear
waters will go from feet to chin
we will emerge or be submerged
now is the time for us to rise
© 2015 John Englander – Permission granted to share or post, without modification
For Printable version, PDF download above.
Created during my Rauschenberg Residency