Ocean Verses

The life in the sea is a marvel to me
At home in an ocean of brine,
All sizes and shapes and all colors there be,
And even a few that can shine.

Some creatures that look like the ones in our brook
And others – like alien spawn,
And sometimes we find, and it boggles the mind,
A species we thought was all gone.

From dolphins to whales and the hammerhead shark
Such wonders are there to behold,
With sonar emissions they see in the dark,
As slowly they move through the cold.

Some squid with their eyes like a Frisbee in size
And arms that could capture a boat,
Beneath all the swells there are creatures in shells
And some in a gel always float.

The Nautilus moves like a spaceship would cruise
In journeys to places unknown,
Some turtles seek land on a time scale so grand,
It’s moved as our planet has grown.

From puffers to eels and those cute harbor seals,
From plankton to coral and rays,
And thousands of fish that can serve as a dish
To shore birds that flock to the bays.

What pleases me most is my time on the coast,
Where the tide pools bring gifts to the land,
From cool trips to Maine or the warm Key Biscayne
Where life comes to rest in the sand.

From songs of the whales to the Mariner’s tales
Allure that’s too strong to resist,
The gifts of the ocean- a magical potion,
So breathe in the sweet salty mist.

John H. Bidwell