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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Our Tilted Earth--A Quiet Thought opus 879

3 July 2026 1714 Hours Science, Biology, Chemistry, Environment, Geology
Our wonderful Earth's axis is on a tilt.
This planet also rotates on that axis.
Because of these physical attributes,
We inhabit a world with seasons and day and night.
Except for the equator, other area's day-lengths vary.
Shorter days, and further north, cold winter reigns.
To make winter freezes more benevolent,
The water molecule in its frozen solid state,
Is less dense than its liquid counterpart,
Which maintains ice as a floating solid.
Consider what would happen if ice sank as it froze,
Fresh water creatures would possibly not survive
Under many feet of solid lethal ice.
The flukes of our planet are truly fortuitous.
When considered as a juxtaposed group of phenomena,
We creatures all, must give thanks each day.
But now we must cope with the relatively rapid
Challenging Climate Crisis of our own making.