You’re never the same

from one day to the next,

and nobody knows

quite what to expect.

I’m told that you move

four metres a day,

and that’s very fast 

for glaciers, they say.

And if I stayed overnight, 

I could hear you speak,

as your ice groans and shifts

around every peak.

Teacher’s note: New Zealand’s Franz Joseph Glacier is unique for its steepness and speed.  It stretches from a height of 3,000 metres down to 240 metres in less than 11 kilometres.  It can shift up to four metres a day; most glaciers travel one metre a day.  People camped on its slopes report hearing the glacier “groan” as it moves.  At its base is a rainforest! 

Photo by Ginette Pestana