These are variations of the same theme. Reef bleach of the house reef—Bandos Island in Maldives—was heartbreaking and I tried to express my sadness but also the joy of seeing all the life that still is there. So here it goes: Sugar Coated Toes Outtakes.

Sugar Coated Toes 01: Despair of a dying reef

My toes are sugar coated
With ground corpse of reef
The bleach process has killed most of it
In a vast landscape of dead white chalk
Three anemones cling on to life
Each of which houses a tiny family of clown fish
No it’s not funny
My heart breaks

Sugar Coated Toes 02: We pay with our future

The freight ship with three enormous cranes on top
Covers three quarters of length of the tiny island
More stuff no-body really needs
More dead reef
We pay much more than dollars for our needs
We pay with our future

Sugar Coated Toes 03: Life prevails

My toes are sugar coated
Sand gets every where
Life gets every where
Purple anemones with orange tentacles
Move with the currents of the waves
Bobbing in and out as I float above
A family of clown fish

Sugar Coated Toes 04: Happiness

Sugar coated toes
Ready to splash
In a turquoise cocktail
Palm tree umbrellas
And puffer fish ice cubes