Studland Bay Eco-Buoy

by Sue Spiers

Saving Sea Horse’s Habitat

Quirky beasts, fish and not fish.

Stampeders of winter’s deep,

or summer shallows,

hyaline at birth, innards visible,

their distinctive spiral

tail clings to sea-stalks.

Geisha-fan fins hold them noble,

gyrate to a season’s mate,

breed a herd of colts and fillies

with filigree ridges

and equine snouts.

Diving to the seabed

to scout these creatures

you see sand-circles

dragged by anchor chains

as the tide mambos

small boats in the harbour.

Ingenuity to keep safe

both mariner and marine life

and hold on to tiny beauties,

the rarity of father-birth,

chameleonic skin-display

of mood and sea-state.

A simple change to mimic

seaweed’s stipe and holdfast,

move swivel to the surface;

elongation like a sleepy panther

to each wave’s undulation.

Inspiration: This poem is based on a local news programme about a company who created mooring buoys that don’t damage the seabed. The project’s initial outing is in Studland Bay and hopes to be rolled out where marine life, in particular sea horses, suffers when sea grasses are uprooted by the drag of traditional mooring buoy chains. I tried to capture the wonder I find with sea horses, all their distinctive features that deserve preservation. Studland Bay ‘eco-moorings’ set up to protect seahorses – BBC News.

Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay

Sue Spiers lives in Hampshire. Her poetry has appeared in Acumen, 14 Magazine, Dreich and Stand and on-line at The High Window and Ink, Sweat & Tears. Sue is active with the Open University Poets, T’Articulation, Winchester Muse, Winchester Poetry Festival and Mensa Poetry Special Interest Group. Sue tweets @spiropoetry.