Blackfish

so named for your color -

a tribal contrast of black on white

there is no killer in you

only instinct steeped in curiosity 

 

it is said that the high-reaching sail 

of your dorsal fin tells the future

an antenna to heaven     dial stuck on holy

and even though your eyes are our eyes

whispering a story with phrenic silence 

we are blinded by greed and the tin-can rattling

of our own unrelenting indifference

 

i would have liked to have met you

someplace else     beyond this glass prison

before insanity turned you against yourself

and gave the world unpaid ammunition 

to say that you had an agenda

beyond the natal thirst

to live free

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I've once loved these whales, so intelligent and social. But I watched a nature film where a gang of them herded a mother Sperm whale and her calf apart to drown the calf by piling on top of it and drowning it so they could devour the calf. I've not looked at them the same since. But they really are killers of their own kind. Not so unlike another intelligent species.

[Perkele.7885]

This is a good read for the times. apropos Did I spell that right? Animals are so often misunderstood because they basically eat to live and live to eat. It is hard to understand about things like their socialization techniques etc.

[Einstein Noodle]

thoroughly enjoyed reading .. excellent stuff! the connections we have with the deep and such a magnificent fish continue throughout .. and our disconnect through greed etc. .. an apt mirror ..
especially like these lines:
"whispering a story with phrenic silence
we are blinded by greed and the tin-can rattling"

E.

[Ken Simm.]

I saw and was affected by the film. I find I am even more affected deeply by your poem. The Orca is such a beautiful and incredible animal. I know of one pod off the Scottish coast and I always long to see them.
To see them used as circus animals is the exact opposite of beauty. Plying tricks.

[Souladareatease]

I have such a hard time watching such documentaries ...i'll curl into tears and be no good to anyone for days on end...same with love stories and fights for humanity-As You know...the Earth is Sacred and such animals other than man are it's innocent Beauty....excellent vibes Put to Pen Friday!!!

[Fernando Dardón]

Animals are not evil, evil is a matter of the mankind. Animals just have instinct, and we can blame them for that. The one to blame are us, that destroy all that living beauty of the nature.
I love your writings, allways. Wanted to ask you, how did you come up with this verses: "of your dorsal fin tells the future/an antenna to heaven dial stuck on holy"?
excellent poem!!

[Brett Moore]

and gave the world unpaid ammunition
to say that you had an agenda
beyond the natal thirst
to live free

Beyond the natal thirst/ to live free

I do not know why, but you have the ability to place and pair words perfectly to my liking. Your stanzas just resonate with me. This is whimsical, imaginative, light and funny, and yet, sad all the while. Great job, Girl Friday!

[Sue Hart]

Your poetry is a joy to read. This vision of the killer whale in captivity wanting to live free...wow. I lived in Orlando for years and Sea World was just part of our lives there. When the trainer was killed by one, this is what they said. An accident caused by their instinct. Liked this a lot. Thanks.

[Al R. Arce]

This is the fourth poem I've read from you this morning. If my friends here knew they'd be mad as I am behind in my read requests! I just wanted to get acquainted with your writing, which I found to be quite unique. You don't seemed concerned with the limitations of rhyme. Though you poetry seems to me more like conversations, your clever choice of words make your pieces flow with delicacy. I can see why you get so many good reviews and overall reads! I'll be looking forward to read more from you!

[...]

I love this! These creatures are truly magnificent, intelligent, majestic, animals. They shouldn't be caged in pools nor should they be polluted out of their environment, inflicted with nuclear waste, or slaughtered for any reason! What a sad sad day when they are gone :(