Did the whale think:
What if he dies today?
He, her companion
or elder or child.
What if he dies today?
Did she compensate
ahead of time for the loss
with more love than one
could pour into an ocean…
or was she as careless as us,
our heavy heads
so full of nonsense—
too preoccupied to consider
What if he dies today?
Could she stop time,
touch the moment, there:
I loved you.
I love you.
I will always love you.
before it cast her adrift
left to carry her grief
across the vast and endless
sea ahead.
