I recently watched the documentary Chasing Coral, which is about a team of filmmakers and scientists who take time-lapse photographs of coral reefs as they bleach and die–a direct indicator of rising ocean temperatures, of global warming. There is a scene in the film in which divers who are photographing corals near Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef do their diving off of a floating bar. The contrast of the young people partying on the floating bar and the divers chronicling the death of an ecosystem, struck me as a profoundly sad indicator of humanity, so I wrote a poem about it.
Beneath Our Dancing Feet, a World is Dying
At Marlin Bar, a floating party spot Near Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef, young people dance and take shots and listen to the DJ.
They sip cocktails and mingle in bathing suits.
Beneath them, divers take time-lapse photographs of the coral
As it bleaches and then dies.
A whole ecosystem, a world unto itself, dying.
While above, oblivious, or choosing not to care,
The people take Jaeger bombs and show off their bodies
And post selfies on Instagram and TikTok.
Coral bleaching is a direct indicator of global warming.
As the ocean temperatures rise, coral bleaches and dies.
Beneath our dancing feet, a world is dying.
