For this weeks reading I found it fairly interesting because I really liked how the poem was written to use ocean wording and ideas to correlate to human life. This poem uses the ocean as a way to talk about life’s ups and downs. It starts by comparing the ocean’s salt to tears (which I thought was really intriguing to show that we are connected to the ocean in that way), showing how something that can be sad can also be essential for life, “The salt of the ocean is always the salt of tears, melancholy but at the right dilution, or concentration, life-giving”. The poem points out that life has always been a struggle, even from the very beginning, it uses ocean creatures, like thermophiles and zoarchids (bottom feeders), as examples of how different beings are capable of adapting and thriving in harsh conditions “Look down: the thermophiles sip at the fumaroles, whose sulfur steam would kill a human being. They love it here.” These creatures don’t need to prove their worth; they just exist in their own unique ways, this thus serves as a metaphor for how people don’t always have to be like others or validate themselves through others accomplishments. The poem ends on a hopeful note, saying that despite our doubts and struggles, some of us will find our way to be okay. It’s a comforting message that encourages accepting ourselves and finding our own path, just like the diverse life forms in the ocean. I really liked this correlation with the ocean and humans because even at our lowest moments, we can find comfort in knowing that we are each taking our own unique path in life and there is no wrong doing if we just take our own path and not be affected by what others are doing.