Following the Stygobites
Liana Joy Christensen
Beneath the arid surface of Western Australia are hundreds of limestone deposits honeycombed with small holes and filled with water. Each of these deposits is teeming with life. And in each case it’s different.
New Scientist, 3 August 2005
The map is old very old a fragment only the guidelines few the rumours wild and contradictory little enough to show us what to do We shiver despite the searing heat and gather in secret and share what we know for sure. It is time to go. And though we seek the dark river we will offer no coin to our carrier. And in the time of the last great dry others departed by this same road singly, in groups, in thousands, they sank below the surface of the continent seeking refuge from aridity Our hearts dry our souls parched and panting we will follow them into the dark crevices becoming different Risking all, we risk nothing Water is life.
Previously published in Wild Familiars (Tone River Press, 2005)
The science inspiring the piece:
In Western Australia it is illegal to carry out an activity resulting in extinction. The discovery of highly distinctive stygofauna made mining applications quite complicated, as each small pool underground contained unique assemblages. These species became cave dwellers as a response to aridity. My imaginative hypothesis is that we might follow them in response to climate change.
Listen to Liana read the epigraph and poem:
Feature image via Leon Brooks (Public Domain)
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