We live on an alien planet
beautiful and creepy
dangerous and hopeful
iridescent inhabitants
luring mates or dinner
giant eyes that almost never
enjoy even the dimmest light
all begging to be touched
But we’re not that different
aren’t you and I just bags of water
surrounding a tummy
wandering our worlds — alone
looking for someone who’ll send
a familiar signal
My prompt tonight was a lecture at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences called A Tale of Two Brothers: Art Meets Science in the Open Sea. I wrote the above poem during the presentation and then read it aloud to the audience alongside three my favorite Living Poets.
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
Cheers to this familiar signal!
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During the lecture, he talked about a little fish whose eggs form around the female’s lips and turn green when they’re ready for fertilization so one signal is what looks like a green Life Saver candy floating around. I was thinking of including green lipstick in the poem but that line didn’t make the cut.
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Oh, I love this. Thank you, Bartholomew!
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A creative and poetic perspective on humanity!
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Inspired by piscanity.
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Makes perfect sense! My perspective was perhaps too creative! In the deep end, you could say. 😂
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You may be a little at sea there.
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haha I do like it there, but I may have been adrift, yes.
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I enjoyed reading your creative poem, Bartholomew. Apologies for steering off course.
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No need to apologize. Always happy to plum the depths with you.
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Thank you. 😌
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Your poem’s perspective of our planet and ourselves is stunning! Eloquently expressed! <3
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Thank you. I was an inspiring lecture.
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“But we’re not that different…”
Indeed – we’re not….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16247
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Despite our big brains and all this technology, I’m convinced we’re mostly acting on instinct just like those tiny sea creatures in the deep ocean.
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Egggg-zactly – we were talking about this only yesterday – how we humans are still basically the same as we have been for millennia – same instincts.
We were talking specifically about reproduction – how people still have this need to reproduce themselves, but it’s got out of control – there are too many of us, which could end up with us being the source of our own destruction. But we don’t take that on board.
Yes, I like to see babies – I go goo-goo about our neighbour’s baby – wrote a little poem for her…
Baby’s Smile
I say ‘Hello’
And her face lights up
With a big smile.
Six months old
Just learning
Taking it all in
And smiling….
BB Feb 2023
Instincts. ‘Gawd ‘elp us all.
https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/11/07/is-this-where-our-big-brains-have-taken-us/
I think I’m preaching to the converted here!
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Cute poem!
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