Chain of Being
Geukensia demissas


The carnivores and predators have top billing,
but in the subtle chain of species, the ribbed
mussel of the salt-water marshes invites
admiration: as marsh grasses are swept to sea,
decomposing and filling the water with phosphorus

slurries, our humble mussel begins to work.
Three days pass. The phosphorous compounds
(so rich in ions), have now been filtered,
firmly placed in a marl, to be by mud–feeders
released to planktons, who will spoon feed

the fishes, whose droppings sustain
the cord grass Spartina, who will again be
compelled to sweep to sea on the rigorous
tide, releasing fresh billows of phosphorous —
bearer of light.

For diligence and distinction in this cycle,
for ceaseless, selfless action over millennia,
what commendation for the quiet mussel?
Constant of the intertidal realm;
Keeper of balance for a planet in the Milky Way;

Principal in the chain of beings who store
the carbon of civilizations (billions of tons),  
in the abyssal ocean floor. Who has done more?
What honor—Palm d’Or, Nobel, Chevalier—can 
we bestow on the ribbed mussel of the marshes?

Homage homepage | At-A-Glance Contents