Title (as given to the record by the creator): The Whale Watch
Date(s) of creation: May 24, 1985
Creator / author / publisher: Judith A. Stein
Physical description: One page black and white scan of Judith’s poetry, typed on a typewriter.
Reference #: JudithStein-WhaleWatch
Source: Judith Stein
Links: [ PDF ]
The Whale Watch
It could only be an accident
a trick of nature
that kept me here,
locked on dry land,
struggling for grace.
The moment I saw them,
no
even before,
I knew we must be kin.
We are the huge mammals,
but they grew fins and tails
returned to the sea
and learned to dance.
Their grace was no surprise to me.
I know, if only rarely,
the fluid fall of huge limbs slapping surfaces,
the round full belly rising freely from a roll,
the movements unrestrained by tiny walls or tiny minds.
The others on the boat,
surprised
exclaimed their graceful movements
the liquid dance.
But on that boat, among the whales
I felt no surprise at all
only a prickling sense of kinship
and a longing for the sea.
May 24, 1985
Judith A. Stein