The Cormorant

Peter Bickerton

Wings splayed, the cormorant black
and regal on his throne of rock,
his kingdom, he, yet nature’s slave,
braves the wuthering, wintry waves
iridescent like Fulmar’s spit
inky as ruinous dredged pits,
their protean and spumy cusps
alive and chlorophyllous
lace the wind with salt to rust
the barnacle’s haven;
each corrosive gust
harbours seeds of reclamation.

The Science

This poem is inspired by birds as an example of nature’s resilience in the face of anthropogenic damage wrought on our planet. It was written to describe a cormorant displaying on a beach, while on the news, reports of yet another oil spill - 6000 barrels off the coast of Peru in 2022 - brought images of oily seabirds. The cormorant is a symbol of nature’s ability to withstand anthropogenic changes. Birds here are the perfect case in point. They are one of the groups of animals that survived and then thrived following the mass extinction that resulted in the demise of non-avian dinosaurs. Birds such as pigeons, blackbirds and gulls all thrive in urban environments. The cormorant and its weathering throne of rock suggest nature will inevitably bounce back (the sea here is alive and persistent, representing evolution), regardless of humanity’s hubristic attempts to rule over it (both through environmental destruction and managed conservation).

The Poet

Peter Bickerton is a science communicator who uses poetry as a way to express arguments or ideas in interesting and creative ways, incorporating this into his work at Thought For Food, a global food security movement, (where he was Poet in Residence) and the European Space Agency.

Next poem: The dunnock has no need of social media by Suzanna Fitzpatrick