Under the Ice
Reputedly,Antarcticais rich in oils
And minerals of every kind; sufficient spoils
To whet our appetites in raw materials
For industries. Constantly rise political
Disputes over the ownership of such rare store
Under its miles-deep, age-protected ceiling-floor.
Yet, far more precious than these minerals are those
Fresh relics of pre-history which could expose
Immute forms for discovery; life’s stages curbed
As frozen fossils – by humankind undisturbed
Since first they were laid down – our hidden future-past.
We must preserve these if we search for unsurpassed
New knowledge of old life and its advance by land and sea;
To prove, beyond a doubt, our long-contended ancestry.
