The Liminal Man

Writings of a man born between worlds

Midway

December 19, 2022

Enduring wings absorb unending miles,
gliding, turning, husbanding the breeze,
efficient mother canvassing the seas,
patrolling—patient—near secluded isles.
Persistence pays. She plunges toward the waves,
rewarded by a sparkle from the air,
a welcome sign of aromatic fare,
the seaborne nourishment her fledgling craves.
But unadapted instincts misconstrued.
Once fruitful soil is salted now with stones.
She carries in her pack deceptive food
that never quiets ever-hungry moans;
and so regurgitating plastic to her brood,
she gets a charnel house of bottle caps and bones.

Notes:

Chris Jordan's stunning photography of the plastic-riddled corpses albatross chicks littering Midway island transformed my awareness and understanding of environmental issues and urgency when I encountered them in (ca.) 2012. This sonnet is a tribute to those pictures and that problem.