by Douglas Lanzo

First published in Scarlet Leaf Review, March 2021 Issue

As we venture beneath the waves, unearthly sights transfix our gaze,
woven from tapestries, wondrous creatures do emerge 
from hidden crevice, exquisite beauty does submerge,
beneath sundrenched waters filled with gold, illuminating rays.

Be-speckled black and white Panther Groupers troll the sea,
disguising shape and size in polka-dotted splendor 
until, draped in majesty, one Angelfish does render
a backdrop of bright orange and blue — royal destiny.   

In glorious arrays of light and hue, anemones and corral
bestow luxurious refuge, nourishment and shelter,
eluding Goliaths of the reef marauding helter-skelter.
The David of the shallow depths does illustrate the moral 
of symbiotic strength derived from chemistry and aid:
The orange-white Clownfish protects anemones from fish
to whom their fan-like polyps would prove a tasty dish
in exchange for immunity from venom and predatory raid.

Primordial elements of bygone age: water, earth and fire
do mix with ocean-forged character and resplendence
in an eco-system of life-death inter-dependence,
constructing an underwater cathedral that does inspire
aquatic worshippers to assemble within the sanctuary of the reefs,
imploring mankind to wisely steward this web of life
while eschewing manmade sources of oceanic strife, and 
preserving rainbow polyps, green corals and regal fiefs.