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

[jacob erin-cilberto]

people are misunderstood, just like this...i feel like i am looking into an aquarium and seeing a person swimming in chains....wanting to be on the other side of the glass...

sometimes we are trapped behind the glass, at other times we put ourselves there...

so often...as poets...we are misunderstood...just because we are different.

[Clara]

This is an incredibly powerful poem, Sarah.
I have missed your writing indeed!

Animals are incredibly miunderstood, especially sharks and killer whales -- you've captured this perfectly. We need to take care of our environment and all the creatures that live on the land and in the ocean.

A wonderful, wonderful piece.

[Kenneth The Poet]

I understand the longing put forth in these lines.

[Adam Whitworth]

thankyou for these powerful words

[Robbie~xoxo~]

This is intriguing, Sarah...I read this a couple of times...and had a different perception each time...
as if looking at an abstract painting...
You have a conveyed (an emotional) indifference within a psychological war...

The last stanza has a tone of regret... even pity....

Nicely penned! :)

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you, Robbie...if you haven't seen the documentary "Blackfish", it might not make sense, but it's basically about whales in captivity. :)

[Shawn M]

Wow. Just...wow. "dial stuck on holy" may be one of my favorite things I've ever read in a poem. I have no criticism to offer you, unfortunately, as I love every word of this poem. But I had to stop by and tell you that your description of the actual nature of these creatures is marvelous, and is so sadly missed by most of society. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

You humble me! Thank you so much!

[John Destalo]

I think this is really beautiful and so simple.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you...I was inspired by a documentary; not my usual work, but it needed to be said.

[Rossen]

Eye contact to a emotional dimension where liquid meets the sky...
and we know each other as one.

[Travis Gibson (poetic h..]

Very affecting and as always, your execution is one to take notes on. Your word choice left it effortlessly reachable, and that really aided in how it evoked emotion throughout. Least that's how it was for me... great write.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you so much, my friend!

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

Its always a pleasure.

[NeiL ArandA]

Green Peace and Animal Rights Movement would greatly agree and empathize with your piece. Such a high price we're willing to pay for our own overindulgence and entertainment. You must have seen one inside a cage glass?

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

No, I watched the documentary "Blackfish"...very sad.