The Wonderous California Coast
by Michael Doyle

We are escorted by dolphin laughter
Coming from guardians who are after
The company that they find in play
Along the bow of our boat, much like yesterday

When mighty Calypso sailed the coastal deeps
Along the coral reefs to the kelp bed keeps
The waters are just right from Baja to Alto
Until, as divers, we submerge into the waters below

Into the kelp bed forest as tall as sequoia trees
That grow and feed this ocean world delicately
Just beyond this, the squid breed in commotion
Proving love knows every kind of its own notions

The ultimate goal is survival and sustainability
Though it's not long ago, we didn't know man's capacity
To feed too much and do too much, as it was not known
Our ability to destroy, as nature and time have shown

It was mankind's error of knowledge and wounded heart
That we have reached the point of tearing our world apart
Imperiling the world, we have to chart another course
And protect our last and greatest remaining resource

Our blue planet stands out in its beautiful distinction
That its finite drops of water stand between us and extinction
We travel this journey that together, we all must make
Along California's coast, filled with beauty and heartbreak

Down to the Sea of Cortez with it's renowned aquarium view
Filled with biodiversity turned to scarcity, sadly true
It is the fault of mankind for being oblivious and blind
To not see beyond our noses to see what we would find

San Jose Island, Mexico; erases all sense of pretense
From not knowing that water is needed for our existence
Somber cacti reach their arms upward into the blue skies
Sometimes living 300 years before they begin to die

Greedily efficient, living since George Washington's days
There is only one water system under the sun's burning rays
This is the reminder of the battle that all life gives
And unfortunately, we must give our protection to live 

(c) May 24, 2023  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved