I have a special treat today–a poem by?U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis. He tells me tomorrow (June 8) is World Oceans Day, so here’s?his haunting poem about one of the most gorgeous, mysterious ocean animals.
On the Death of Blue WhalesThe zeppelins of the sea
Descend through watery rooms
Of barnacle and debris,
Rip-ravaged in their tombs.A few die on the land
Because they lose their way,
Great beasts upon the sand
The pods will miss at play.Too big to be believed,
These sentinels by birth
Watch over, till relieved,
Three-quarters of the Earth.All sing a soulful song
And fountain forth through foam
For decades?oh how long
The awful rowing home.
–J. Patrick Lewis, all rights reserved
That last line just kills me. Actually, the whole final stanza. The sounds of all those o and ou words. I feel the anguish. What’s your favorite line?
By the way, I love the sea and have’shared?other ocean-related poems over the years–you can find some of them here. And I shared a poem about bats from Pat’s book World Rat Day, an entire collection of poems in honor of holidays you’ve never heard of, right here. Enjoy!
And after you’ve checked those out, visit Tabatha at?The Opposite of Indifference for the?Poetry Friday roundup.
Thanks for stopping by!
I was just thinking how powerful that last stanza was, and then read your line about exactly that! Beautiful. Thanks, Laura!
So glad you felt the poem, Matt~
I was just thinking how powerful that last stanza was, and then read your line about exactly that! Beautiful. Thanks, Laura!
So glad you felt the poem, Matt~
Thank-you for this stirring poem. Favorite? I find the lines about the beached whales who’ve lost their way chilling, thrilling, haunting.
Yep, that was my second most favorite part!
Thank-you for this stirring poem. Favorite? I find the lines about the beached whales who’ve lost their way chilling, thrilling, haunting.
Yep, that was my second most favorite part!
That last stanza – so powerful.
Yes!
That last stanza – so powerful.
Yes!
My favorite stanza is the first one. How he takes us down into the depths of their world, these zeppelins of the sea. What a great poem.
That is a gripping image…
My favorite stanza is the first one. How he takes us down into the depths of their world, these zeppelins of the sea. What a great poem.
That is a gripping image…
I agree about the final stanza — sad, beautiful anguish. An exquisitely wrought poem overall. Each sound and syllable, moving through the stanzas, is an emotional coup.
Emotional is right. This one really gets me in the gut.
I agree about the final stanza — sad, beautiful anguish. An exquisitely wrought poem overall. Each sound and syllable, moving through the stanzas, is an emotional coup.
Emotional is right. This one really gets me in the gut.
This is a very mournful poem. What are we doing to our world?
I like the way it makes me think about death and dwindlng, but it doesn’t explicitly talk about climate change or pollution or whatever. It’s not a hit-you-over-the-head-with-that-stuff poem.
This is a very mournful poem. What are we doing to our world?
I like the way it makes me think about death and dwindlng, but it doesn’t explicitly talk about climate change or pollution or whatever. It’s not a hit-you-over-the-head-with-that-stuff poem.
He had me at “The zeppelins of the sea” — what a perfect image! The overall effect of the poem is haunting, as Joanne mentioned.
That is lovely–the slow floating is a perfect match, isn’t it?
He had me at “The zeppelins of the sea” — what a perfect image! The overall effect of the poem is haunting, as Joanne mentioned.
That is lovely–the slow floating is a perfect match, isn’t it?
I had the extraordinary experience outside of Boston one year of ending up on my boat in a large pod of whales. They were so close we could reach out and touch them. I’ll never forget it. The poem brings them back so vividly, and the line “And fountain forth through foam” fits what they do, exactly. Thanks for this special sharing, Laura.
Wow–that sounds amazing. We went to Boston a few years ago and went on a whale-watching cruise. Saw a few whales (and that was amazing), but nothing nearly as dramatic as that. Cool! So glad you liked this poem–and I’m thrilled Pat agreed to share it here!
I had the extraordinary experience outside of Boston one year of ending up on my boat in a large pod of whales. They were so close we could reach out and touch them. I’ll never forget it. The poem brings them back so vividly, and the line “And fountain forth through foam” fits what they do, exactly. Thanks for this special sharing, Laura.
Wow–that sounds amazing. We went to Boston a few years ago and went on a whale-watching cruise. Saw a few whales (and that was amazing), but nothing nearly as dramatic as that. Cool! So glad you liked this poem–and I’m thrilled Pat agreed to share it here!
The image of great beasts upon the sand is the one that I will keep thinking about. Such a heavy image?
I love how poetic the words/replies to this post are. It IS a heavy image.
The image of great beasts upon the sand is the one that I will keep thinking about. Such a heavy image?
I love how poetic the words/replies to this post are. It IS a heavy image.
Yes, haunting. Love the line, “fountain forth through foam…” – Whales have such extraordinary, complex social lives. I wish they were more appreciated by the (economic and political) powers that be.
Me too, Robyn. And that is a great line. The f sounds force you to read it slowly, just like the action described in the line…
Yes, haunting. Love the line, “fountain forth through foam…” – Whales have such extraordinary, complex social lives. I wish they were more appreciated by the (economic and political) powers that be.
Me too, Robyn. And that is a great line. The f sounds force you to read it slowly, just like the action described in the line…
Beautifully sad.
Agreed~
Beautifully sad.
Agreed~
A thousand thanks to all who read and commented so generously on the poem.
Gratifying beyond words.
We always love the gift of your poetry, Pat. Thank YOU:>)
A thousand thanks to all who read and commented so generously on the poem.
Gratifying beyond words.
We always love the gift of your poetry, Pat. Thank YOU:>)
The “All sing a soulful song and fountain forth through foam” image is my favorite. The whole poem is a beautiful tribute to these majestic creatures. Thank you for sharing, Patrick and Laura.
Majestic–yes. He really captures that essence of them. Thanks, Joy!
The “All sing a soulful song and fountain forth through foam” image is my favorite. The whole poem is a beautiful tribute to these majestic creatures. Thank you for sharing, Patrick and Laura.
Majestic–yes. He really captures that essence of them. Thanks, Joy!