Manta Rays

Oh to slide and glide

Through life with grace

Asking nothing of the ocean

The ocean that consumes me

with unanswerable questions

Oh to reach and teach

With extensions of gentleness

Wanting nothing of the sky

The sky that swirls me with

Deep confusion

Oh to slip and flip

With arcs of freedom

Just under the surface of understanding

Taking nothing from the sun

The sun that creates my shadows of longing

Oh beloved Manta Ray

One glimpse of you sea-soaring

And all my questions, all my longing

Dissolve into the spirit of your Grace

May I aspire to live and love in this earth world

Like your gentlest of wakes

**From Oceangraphic:

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced that the conservation status of the giant manta ray (or oceanic manta ray) has been changed from Vulnerable to Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species.

The giant manta ray now joins over 16,000 endangered species to be assessed with this serious threat level. At this stage, 30% of sharks and rays are now threatened with extinction.