Hidden behind the fragility
Of a sub-Antarctic archipelago,
A speck of shamrock shimmers
On a sea of turquoise.
 
Exploding into life this fleck
Becomes a floating forest;
Vacuous blues graffitied with
Organic, dancing tones of green.
 
Rising white beacons of sediment
Carried on clandestine currents,
Breathing new life into
This aquatic wasteland.
 
The metallic aftertaste
Tinged with needless shame
By the limitations of
Their oceanic flow.
A hydrothermal vent in the Philippine Sea (Image Credit: NOAA).
This poem is inspired by recent research, which has shown that vents in the seafloor may affect life near the ocean’s surface and the global carbon cycle more than previously thought.
Phytoplankton are aquatic photosynthetic microalgae that form the foundation of the