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Oceans of Europa
Oceans of Europa
We reach Europa, frosty ball
A pristine world of brownish white
All scarred with chasms, cracks and streaks
that gleam in Jupiter’s dim light
In padded spacesuits we arrive
to set the drilling rig in place
In search of hidden waters and
whatever life they may embrace
The cutters whir, the ice chips fly
Into the crust the shaft descends
Then 30 kilometers down
At last, a buried sea extends
Blue jellyfish 10 meters wide
Green eels with phosphorescent skin
Red slugs propelled by water jets
zoom off at speed as we move in
In these dark waters, creatures steer
by sonar using grunts and clicks
It won’t be long before we teach
them simple tunes and party tricks
© Oliver Wright
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