Once Upon a Time Poems

Lament of the Diver

An atoll of dream magic
snorkeling through the lagoon
a hint of paradise, at last!
Why have they been so tragic,
our mistakes of the past?
A volcanic creation,
draped in its own explanation,
from the depths of time, a crater
has ebbed down and later
this grandeur was born.

Staghorn with table coral,
terraces of divine splendor
damselfish with angelfish
woven together, delicate and tender.
Blue planet, water planet,
where the unknown meets the known,
whirling swirling
the reefs so colorful grown!
Where the currents meet and prance,
the rays of diversity glow,
webs of life tangle and dance
inside an immense ocean show.

Man possessed it through the ages,
war and greed came in stages.
Loud and cruel, the thunder of man
darkened and obscured Heaven’s plan.
This is not a passing notion,
coral reefs aid health of the ocean,
now is the time for conservation
I plead with true emotion.
Warming waters pale the faces
of the corals in all places.
On each dive my soul hears them cry
as ecosystems wither and die.
With each misstep we pay a price,
if we tread harshly upon our paradise.