I remember you sister Whale
Remember when I had a
tail and fins Sister Dolphin
Remember when we would
swim for hours plunging the
depths and traversing the breath
of the primordial waters
Then I changed
Shedding fins and tail for
Feet and legs,
lungs instead of gills and
I could no longer join you in the
Waters of the Mother
They said I had evolved
That I could now climb trees
and mountains, walk upright and
become the dominant species
over everything else
Oh Sister, how I miss our times in
those emerald green and azure blue
waters, those places of birthing and
She who held those in the leaving
Oh how I wish I could once again swim
the depths splashing and cavorting with
you and the others, protecting each other
Alas, I cannot. But I tell you,
I am NOT part of their dominant species
I DO NOT think I am the pinnacle of creation
Rather, I think this human body massively
inferior to you my beloved cetaceans
Jump and cavort sweet dolphin family
Spy-hop and BreachSister Whale, then
dive deep and allow me one more view
of your incredible fluke
Perhaps one day humans will return to the
Mother Waters and we shall all dance in the
mist in blissful, sweet harmony
Until then…
I walk on the dry seas with
legs with feet and arms with hands,
but now with the eyes of Savage Woman
as I reclaim my wildness and free spirit
known so well to the children of the waters
Now I tell stories and speak with the voice of
Savage Woman raised in protection of your life
and the primordial waters that birthed us all
Raising my voice, I sing with you those soul-full
melodies of the deep as I feel the water on my skin
and…
Remember…
Remember…
Remember.
_________________________________
The Remembering, Arlene Bailey ©2021
Orca and Dolphin Photos by Bob Talbot
Humpback Photos by Mike Rae
Authors Note: I wrote this poem for a prompt in a class I participated in a few months ago. It’s based on my lifetime of love for Cetaceans that began as a child growing up on the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico coast watching Porpoises and Dolphins… a love that grew even deeper when I lived in the Pacific Northwest and spent hours kayaking with orcas in Robson Bight, BC and off of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington state along with watching Humpbacks in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
All images except Dolphins taken in Robson Bight Ecological Preserve in Johnstone Straight, BC.
(Meet Mago Contributor) Arlene Bailey