The Eel’s Epic Voyage
a romantic tale
comprehend this strange story,
european eels from the sargasso sea?
earth worms formed of mud,
from the guts of wet soil aristotle said.
abundant in european rivers
in fact transparent elvers
that grew up to a metre long.
in autumn as elders they disappeared
never to be seen again.
as time passed it became apparent
european eels were not european.
scientists tracked them 3,000 miles
across the atlantic to breed a single time.
some went straight. others zigzag.
all returning to the sargasso sea.
they breed. they die. & minute offspring
for 3 years swim the gulf stream,
arriving in european rivers,
then as elders they swim into the ocean
heading home to breed & die.
in a corner of the bermuda triangle &
reported by columbus in the 15th century,
this windless harrowing stretch of sea
is decorated with clusters of sargussum.
with freakish squalls & sea tornadoes,
this place spawned many tales of old.
you were told enter & vanish…
the “mer de baga“, the sea of berries,
paradise for the sargasso eel. such
a romantic tale. aristotle got it wrong.
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