"The thresher sharks" ; 17 Dec 2023

The English expelled the islanders from the Chagos Archipelago, a Mauritian territory in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos Archipelago was unlawfully detached from Mauritius around 1965 in violation of United Nations resolutions forbidding colonial powers from dismembering colonies before giving them independence. Since 1968 Mauritius has been claiming for the Archipelago to be returned to it. It has obtained many international verdicts and resolutions in its favour on this issue.

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"THE THRESHER SHARKS."

On this poem, please see :  “Chagos : Entre Port Louis et Londres, les ponts coupés.” "WEEK-END" newspaper, Mauritius, 14 May, 2017, (page 3). From this article, we can quote the following : 

 “(…..) A study carried out by 14 scientists of the University of Bangor, led by Professor John Turner points out that “we have all heard of the devastating effects of climate change that induced sea temperature rise has had on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but unfortunately this is a global problem, and the reefs of the Chagos Archipelago have not been spared. Just like corals elsewhere, the warm temperatures cause the corals to expel the microalgae that live within them, making the structures look white in colour. Without the microalgae, the corals are unable to photosynthesise and may starve and die.

“This finding was arrived at during a trip of three weeks in the waters of the Chagos Archipelago, namely ‘around three remote coral atolls.’ ‘Many of the large table corals that provide complexity to the reef structure, not unlike a forest’s canopy, have collapsed, although these will eventually become cemented together, and form a surface for new corals to grow. In more exposed locations, the coral tables have fallen down the reef, often being overturned, and in very exposed sites, they have been swept off the reef entirely, taking the newly settled young corals with them’ notes the study, that is likely to bolster London in its unilateral project of Marine Protected Area.

“However, commenting on the findings, Professor Turner accepts that the situation is not so irreversible. “We are obviously saddened to find the coral reefs of the Chagos in this state, which is no different to that of other climate affected locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, but remain optimistic that these reefs, protected and remote from human impacts, can still bounce back as they did after the 1997-1998 warming event,” does he say, pointing out that one species of shark, the Thresher Shark, which forms part of the Red List Threatened Oceanic Shark, one of whose missions is to cleanse the corals of parasites, is back in the Chagos waters after a long absence.” (My translation from French). 

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Note that :
(a) the study was made by a university in WALES;
(b) the study was made by a team of experts;
(c) the researchers went to a REMOTE atoll;
(d) someone made sure the results of the study reached Mauritius;
(e) there was a warming event in 1997-1998; there might be more later;
(f) the researchers are sad to see the coral reefs in a poor state;
(g) these are no ordinary sharks : they thresh, they thrash, they murder more than other species do; they do good to the corals but give death to humans;
(h) there are newly-settled corals and they must not be disturbed;
(i) the reefs must be protected from human impacts;
(j) the thresher shark is part of the list of threatened sharks;
(k) the sharks cleanse the corals and must not be disturbed;
(l) there is no mention of the number and activities of existing personnel at the place;
(m) the sharks had come back after a long absence; don't think they had gone forever; surging out of nowhere, those deadly jaws will lunge at you at any moment;
(n) remember, those sharks have  MISSIONS, one of which is to cleanse the corals; who assigns those missions ? ; who controls them ? ;
(o) the results of the study reinforce the soundness of setting up the Marine Protected Area; the sole aim of MPA is to protect the environment;
(p) after my poem the Zambezi River Crocodile Squadron, the Chagos Thresher Sharks Squadron... The most effective border control, the deadliest border patrol...

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                                                POEM :
                              THE THRESHER SHARKS  

(“Balseros” was the name given to the people from Cuba who fled to the US on makeshift rafts in 1994; the rafts were made from the wood called BALSA). (The “Balseros” poems can be read on the site allpoetry.com)

(a) From my poem : “The Balseros (1)” : 

“(…..)
“Anyway, be that as it may, keep your eyes peel'd :
Keep a lookout, mariners, for your fate is seal'd;
Pray to your gods,  keep your fingers cross'd,
And pray you be not to the sharks shortly toss'd.

“At least, not to these beasts so greedy,
For, ye don't want any of this grave watery;
To save your lives, you will put up a fight,
Even if as a gory end terminates this plight.”

(written on 14 September, 1994)

(b) From my poem “The Balseros (2)” :

“(…..)
“The sharks have gather'd in battle formation
In the war zone yonder for a dawn attack;
Certainly will they not brook any damn slack,
As they swear to unleash sheer devastation.”

“(…)

“Lo ! Sharks everywhere : this is their lair !
Sharks at home, sharks in this sea so stormy,
Quite enough in horror to raise one's hair :
But, say, any sharks in the country of entry ?....”

(written on 15 September, 1994)

(c) From my poem “The Balseros (3)” :

“As rare sirloin steaks some might end up finally
When the sharks turn and home in ravenously”

“(…..)

“In the priceless cellar, the choicest wine collection :
In the raging waters, just ruthless natural selection…..
In the posh restaurants, some sip at their "Haut-Brion" :
The sharks have just spill'd barrels of "Saint-Émilion."

“To the lingering misery, some preferr'd the risky dash,
Only to end up inside the sharks as beetroot mash…”

“(…..)

“The sharks are circling yonder, as is their wont :
The wolf pack : now you see them, now you don't ;
The hungry beasts are eyeing the legg'd fish…”

(written on 16 September, 1994)

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                                                POEM :
                              THE THRESHER SHARKS 

1^st section

“Thresher sharks” is the name given to the sharks in the sea probably by the English. The word “thresher” presumably amplifies the violence, thus danger, from the sharks).

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The thresher sharks thresh about :
Beware of the threshing.

2nd
The rash sharks thresh,
They thrash.
They smash, they squash.
They lash, they mash.
They dash, they quash.
They flash, they bash.
They clash, they gnash.
They hash.

3^rd
Gor’d cadavers ‘pon the reefs will they stash.
With blood the sea shall be awash.

4^th

“rotating contract persons” : the term used by the English to describe workers from Mauritius on the Archipelago. Yet, there were generations of them who had settled there since many decades; many were born there. The term “contract” was meant to show that the islanders were not belongers to the place and therefore had no permanent claim there.

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Let all people beware,
Including the rotating contract persons :
If they love dear life,
They should stay away
From these mother-er-threshers !...

(End)

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