South of Sixty

December 1st 1959. Twelve countries sign the Antarctic Treaty.

South of sixty, north of ninety:
Where no birds fly and no whales blow,
But for the betterment of all, they said,
But for the betterment of twelve.

Springmelt for a cold, cold conflict:
Beyond the reach of practice,
Into the realms of theory,
Into the jaws of jurisprudence.

And six hundred moons since:
The ice has thawed,
The ice has broken,
The ice has frozen.

Russell J Turner - December 2009