Nels Hanson’s most recent poem to appear here was “Rescue” (June 2018). 

Zealandia
By Nels Hanson

Have you heard there’s an eighth
continent lost undersea, enveloping
New Zealand, shape like huge Italy

with its boot? Joined to Australia
and Antarctica before breaking off
80 million years ago Zealandia is

same size as India, just six percent
above blue waves. Now we know
from core samples from far depths

forgotten island’s geology, climate,
vast eons of the isle’s inhabitants,
fossils, pollen from land a shallow

warm ocean exposed. Ages after
dinosaur turned to stone Pacific’s
Ring of Fire cracked the seabed of

Zealandia. Many decades experts
will explore a drowned discovered
world Atlantis didn’t know or fear.