The Reef

Great reef, you stand, defying monstrous seas Which roar in salute to your stubborn stance Then sometimes in despair a sudden ease To rest, gain strength, ominous ... uneasy trance. And in your labyrinth below the foam An endless myriad of creatures roam Brightly arrayed sea life with wondrous hue Just there, being, a lustrous brew What would this island be without its rind? Built bit by bit by nature’s endless toil Preserving growth: that of an earthly kind A wonderland of life bound in its soil But Ho! A weakness in this crust is found Decay brought on by mankind’s quest for pence A noxious toxic outflow out of bounds Resulting from wretched effervescence Great reef you stood defying monstrous seas Since life began you built your palisade Yet in a decade mankind caused your fall Coin for nature; unpoliced, unholy trade