Of Their Bones Are Coral Made

Full fathom five, or deeper still,

At rest within the ocean’s chill

The ocean currents may create

A home for fish and tiny krill

Where war machines have met their fate

The seascape changes, day by day

As predators now follow prey

To chase them into turret caves

And places they can hide away

In ships and tanks beneath the waves

A month goes by; the wreck conceals

Now, groupers, triggerfish, and eels

In every crevice, cave, and hole;

A shadow from above reveals

A shark or tuna on patrol

The algae fronds and coral fans

Have overgrown what once was Man’s,

Re-writing all his grand designs

And following their separate plans

They soften all the human lines.

Will corals act as Sandburg’s grass

As months and years and decades pass,

To cover death, and loss and grief

Until, through seas as clear as glass

We only view a coral reef?

Photos: David Doubilet/National Geographic (click to embiggen; you'll be glad you did)

These gorgeous photos may be found in the February 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands January 25 (you can tell from the fact that Jan 25^th has already passed, that this phrase is part of the contractual agreement with Nat Geo to use these wonderful pictures), in a photo-essay on a variety of artificial reefs—from deliberately sunken ships and tanks, to the supports of oil and gas rigs, to a cemetery where cremated remains, mixed into concrete, allow those who desire to spend their eternity sleeping with the fishes.  Over time, each artificial reef is transformed--“nothing of him that doth fade / but doth suffer a sea-change / into something rich and strange.”  There are more photos, and the accompanying essay, here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/02/artificial-reefs/doubilet-photography

Parenthetically… I have been a National Geographic fan for as long as I can remember.  When I mentioned this fact to my fellow travelers two years ago in Greece & Bulgaria, it turns out that the vast majority of them, in their secret heart of hearts, had fantasized about taking the same amazing trip we did, seeing the same sights, talking to the same people… but with a NatGeo press pass.  So when the NatGeo rep contacted me with the offer to use some of their pictures for a blog post, there was no possible way I would turn that down.  And even if it were not part of the agreement, the idea that I could legitimately close my post with an official National Geographic magazine cover is just soooo coooool.  I know I’m not actually writing for National Geographic.  But I can dream.