The dive master says
it was because of unusual prevailing winds
northerly out of seasons. Just one
of those things, natural.
The coral spawning 10 days after the full moon
as always, but having nowhere to go
or rather, no way to get there
the winds closing like teeth
across the bay. It went rancid,
it had to, spoiling with potential.
And then all the fish died.
20,000: parrot fish, cow fish,
small spotted rays, shark pups
green moray eels, the ribbon eels
olive sea snakes, puffers small and large;
the animals in the numbers of their creation
washed up. The smell, it lingered.
The locals coming with shovels for the flesh
won’t talk about it. The coral
with all their soft fronds and moving colour
wavered for a while, some light came through.
When we dive there’s 10m vis
and in parts 5m like light running back
from sandy bottom to sun,
my reg clicks cuts off the end
of each breath, I measure
where I am to where the surface is
rich in oxygen. Here in the deep channel,
the most northern part of the reef,
the currents move without need of wind.
But south, the bay (coral extinguished
broken to rubble) lay still
and shone.

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