Polar bear poem: a climate change journey
Carl the Wanderer
I. A Balancing Act
His four feet were on the ice floe,
But it was getting smaller and smaller.
Carl at sea, searching for food.
Unsteady, he tried to balance.
Was the platform still shrinking?
He would soon have to swim.
The sea was large, no end in sight.
II. Just Keep Swimming
Carl plunged into the icy Arctic sea,
His shovel-like paws propel him forward,
His furry white body gliding swiftly,
Muscles flexing, neck extended to reach above the water.
Carl dives and slices through the deep blue.
A lonely fish floats lazily past,
And Carl has a quick snack.
A little energy to sustain him on his long swim.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,
As he swiftly churns the salty sea.
III. Land Ho!
Carl swims for four days straight.
Four days battling the waves.
Four days without food since his fish.
But what was this? An ice floe?
Land ho! Ice ho! Ice floe!
Chunks of ice floated in front of Carl,
Forming a field of mini ice bergs.
Carl selected the largest chunk and
Climbed out of the water onto the ice,
Water streaming off his sleek fur in tiny rivers.
A well-deserved rest for the majestic marine
mammal.
IV. Wanderer
So Carl continued,
Picking his way across the ice.
From time to time he hopped across sections of water,
Or took a quick swim.
He entered good hunting grounds,
And ate well.
He now wanders alone, a solitary ivory figure
Against the pure white of the snow.