Poem: "Silent Tide"

[ysabetwordsmith]

Recently I started tracking reports about a tremendous increase in dolphin fatalities in the Gulf of Mexico, especially dolphin calves from the current birthing season (the first after the Deepwater Horizon disaster).

Then I found a Facebook post from Boycott BP with this remark: "This video shows you the passion Dolphins have for their young. Imagine what the Dolphin mothers in the Gulf are suffering through this calving season." The link goes to this video from several years ago.  As more recent articles also point out, dolphins are not indifferent to death but become agitated when a pod member dies, and often make vigorous efforts at revival.

That got me thinking about what the situation would be like from a delphine perspective.  The following poem emerged.  I decided that posting it here would be a good contribution to the cause.  Because some of us look at the mess the Gulf is in, and feel like we ate the talking stag.

Silent Tide

The dolphin calf weakens and falls behind,
soft chirps fading as the mother
doubles back.

A last gasp flecks the sea breeze with pink foam
as the calf sinks beneath the waves,
relatives crowding close

with desperate love that bruises unresponsive flesh
as they bump the limp baby toward the surface
again and again

until the pod stops crying long enough
to hear the echoing silence
that fills the small body.

Hours have passed before the grieving pod can accept
that their little one is gone beyond their reach
and they swim inward with the tide

leaving the cool blue corpse upon the sand
in a silent accusation:
why?