A Cruel Lesson
“A Cruel Lesson” is a reflective poem exploring the beauty and brutality of nature, human curiosity and the contradictions between observing wildlife and our own everyday choices.
blue planet beams into my room
via the television. i am no expert
on what is under the oceans but
i am learning migration routes
of whales & spinner dolphins –
& see a dumbo octopus unearthed,
never captured on film before.
70% covered by sea there’s
a lot of death going on.
the giant trevally launched out
of the water & snatched
a fledgling tern, snapping
back under before eating it.
ever seen a fish kill a bird?
strange world.
my daughter enters the room
& asks
is it fish & chips tonight?
i agree. can taste that cod
on my palate already.
Another poem from the archive:
It is time to become reasonable. It is time to come in itself.