The Marine Biologist

My daughter graduated this last year from UC Santa Cruz as a marine biologist, and is currently working for the Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz studying various near shore sites along the California coast. The tide sets the schedule for her field work and often she is up very early in the morning or works late into the dusk of the day observing life in the tidal zone. Her wierd hours of work recently inspired me with a poetic vision of her activity:


"The Marine Biologist"


"The rythmn of the sea controls the ebb and flow of your life.
At the tidal low, in-shore marine life is exposed to your prying mind,
as you wade the shallow pools to solve the mysteries of tiny creatures of the sea.
You are forced from the field as powerful waves wash back to the shore,
covering the algae laden rocks and crannies, and flushing the shoreline with fresh nutrients.
The natural cycle of your internal clock adjusts to the shifting rythmn,
and you are one with the surging sea,
as the wonder of discovery turns to enlightenment!"


M. Worden
6/13/05