The Atmosphere in Movements

Kari Henry

I: First Movement, Geostrophic Balance

I lightly caress your faces
when I pace on the pavement.

You all lie under the Sun’s rays
that I carefully deliver to you.

Never mind that you are whisking
around in an outdoor sauna.

The moisture I am bloated with hugs you
no matter how fast you walk.

II: Second Movement, Ageostrophy

My goodness look at how
I rage. Disorder never looked
good on me. Never lightened up my
mood. I mean what else am I to do when
I have cold and dry next to warm and moist?
Why the hell must I make a choice? I don’t
pick sides I stick to myself and to hell
if no one likes it. Oh well, I’ll end division if
I must. Even if that means brewing up disturbances
on every scene. Let me be seen by everyone 
and let them know it’s me. Let them know my winds are ferocious
and my voice thunderous as I play the drum and bass
on surround sound. And while I play Heat Miser for some,
I will play Snow Miser for others. Shower you all with
white crystals in the sub-zero air. Test me if you
dare and I will blow you till you’re paralyzed
with my frigid air. And no, it doesn’t stop there. I got rain for the rest of you.
Downpours and if you want more, flash floods. Wash out, wash
out, wash out, wash out, wash out.

III: Third Movement, Return to Geostrophic Balance

The division seems to be no more.

Air more or less in unity.

Just what I need

so now I can breathe.

The Science

This poem details the emotions the atmosphere would feel during a disturbance if it were sentient. It references a meteorological concept called Quasi-Geostrophic Theory (QG Theory). In simple terms, QG Theory states that the flow of upper-level air is calm when the air across a given area is approximately uniform in temperature or moisture content. However, when the air is not uniform (warm, moist air next to dry, cool air), the flow of air is disturbed. As a result, the atmosphere gets rid of that difference by lifting the warm, moist air to make it cooler and sinking the cool, dry air to make it warmer. The book, Midlatitude Synoptic Meteorology: Dynamics, Analysis & Forecasting by Gary Lackmann, goes more in depth on the concept. QG Theory is displayed through large scale weather systems like nor’easters, which are large storms that progress up the East Coast of the United States. They are named such because the main direction of the winds blowing over the coast come from the northeast. I believe this poem fits well with the tension theme of the 23rd issue because this poem shows a sentient atmosphere as it goes from being in a calm, quiescent state (geostrophic balance) to being in a stressful state (geostrophic imbalance) and returning back to that calm state (geostrophic balance). There is tension in a city being warm and dry while another to its north is blanketed in snow. The atmosphere bringing itself back to balance is an intense showcase.

The Poet

Kari Henry considers herself many things, but for the purpose of this publication, she is a poet. She is from Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from SUNY Oswego with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and a minor in astronomy. In her free time, she loves creating things, writing, and listening to music.

Next poem: The Scientist-Poet Exchange by Avryn Firestone