Poem in response to Life Below Water

February 2019

Ocean Paint

By Caroline Sun

CC Image Courtesy of Justin De La Ornellas

Seagrass

covers undulating fields, whisper-soft green

Small fish

Streak, tiny orange comets in a vast ocean

Coral

bursts, fiery explosions of volcano red

Anemone

tremble, pink fingers waving lazily

Life,

nothing but

Flicks

of a brush on a blue-black canvas

Then, a flash

of black and white and grey

Plastic

tossing in the frothing

waters;

silver flecks

of aluminum, too-pale

stars in a sickly

sky;

drifting nets

unfurl, curling tentacles

reaching;

escape

           escape

                        escape

Grey scarred hide

white bloated bags

black.

Dark,

         hungry.