The Robots Do Our Bidding

In honor of the dives yesterday and today on the historic hydrothermal vent sites near the Galapagos Islands, today I am posting a poem that I wrote about the ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) that we use for exploration.

*********

The Robots Do Our Bidding

They creep and crawl, they swim and sway;

Stuff countless samples in the tray,

Descend to hell and back again,

Venture in the place of men.

With eyes of glass, 

And heart of steel,

Their fingers grasp, 

But cannot feel.

Their "brains" reside

A mile above,

They cannot laugh.

They cannot love.

And they explore 

the salty deep,

Work tirelessly,

No need for sleep.

They bring to light 

The mysteries

Hidden in 

Our deepest seas.

Resistant to the cold and pressure,

Undaunted by the darkest fissure,

Not handicapped by flesh or fear.

(In fact, they kind of like it here.)

Our robot friends, they venture onward,

Sturdy, strong, and ever stalwart.

Not hindered by a need for air,

Not frightened by the darkness there.

Unblinking eyes inspect and share:

A world awaits to spot the rare

And celebrate what they discover

And in it all, we find - each other?

The robot's in the deepest seas,

It's also deep in you and me -

For we have found, upon reflection,

That therein lies a strong connection.

Without the seas, there is no life.

From coral reefs to polar ice:

The role they play is essential

This exploration monumental.

Three quarters

Nearly out of reach,

Once you head

Beyond the beach.

The robots go there in our stead,

Where pressure makes it hard to tread.

Where it is so dark and cold,

The robots can be brave and bold.

With eyes of glass

And hearts of steel

The robots do not

Think or feel.

But they allow us to explore

In places never seen before.

And we're allowed to gasp and dream

Of wonders that can now be seen.

 *********

 Girl Scouts: We would love to see your illustrations to accompany this poem! Please use the template provided in an earlier GS email, and submit your illustrations with the subject line Galapagos Poem to programs@girlscoutsccc.org

Skip to the next blog post by Melissa: Meet Socktopus

This is part of a multi-part series . Melissa Baffa, Vice President of Program and Volunteer Services for GSCCC, is part of the Corps of Exploration aboard the E/V Nautilus this year on the adventure of a lifetime. This blog series will chronicle her dive into the Unknown.

¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>     `·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>    `·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>