Peering down, I wonder—
What waits beneath the surface?
Choppy and rough, or smooth and calm
Quietly curious as it laps at my palm
A slow descent, then I find
Extraordinary life of every kind:
Red corals, pink algae, green urchins galore
Anemones, moon jellies, starfish and more
Forests of bull kelp tower above
Swimming with sea lions, that’s what I love
Another world is waiting below
One too few will truly know
When salmon stop running and herring don’t spawn
So much life, forever gone
We’ll follow shortly; it has to be
There is no “us” without the sea