2 April 2018 - Whales

 Whales are amazing creatures, and blue whales may be the most intriguing. Blue whales hold the record as the largest sentient beings ever to live on earth, yet despite their impressive size, they eat almost 400,000 tiny shrimp-like crustaceans, called krill, every day. Blue whales are open-water, baleen mammals, not fish, and they average 88 feet long, with the largest measured at approximately 110 feet. (This is twice as long, for instance, as the T-rex dinosaur.) Blues normally weigh around 400,000 pounds (200 tons).  They live up to 110 years, with 80 to 90 years being the normal life span.

 

The population of Blue Whales defies exact approximations; the best estimates suggest a world population between 10,000 and 25,000 individuals. Blues, unfortunately, have a place on the endangered species list since the 1966 ban on hunting them. Regrettably, expert testimony places them as highly likely for extinction. Another serious threat to Blue Whales comes in the form of increased commercial fishing for krill, Blues preferred diet. 

Although a whale plays an important role in the poem below, it serves here not as a study of a stunning creature, but as a metaphor of hearts in a tumultuous standoff, resolved by the end of the poem. Poems are best experienced heard read aloud. (My opinion.) Likewise, the blue whale’s voice, piercing enough and resonant enough to communicate with other whales hundreds of miles away presents one of the species finest features. Only the Sperm Whale exceeds the volume of the Blue whose voice can reach to 190 decibels. (Note that any sound greater than about 125 decibels is painful for humans to hear.) The poem, too, has a forceful, reflective voice. The verses speak of heartbreak, arrogance, profound sorrow, and artful insight. The setting is a vast ocean, one driven individual, and one grieving soul. 

Just as whales use their voices to communicate, to socialize with each other, to navigate, and to attract mates, the poem, too, communicates unfathomable emotions, a relationship that has shattered, and a hint that the two characters may have been “mates.” Perhaps a bit of a leap, a possible comparison presents itself: Male whales often “sing” in competitive rounds in hopes of attracting their female of choice. Some experts think that the male whales’ songs speak of youthfulness and health, useful in attracting females. Of interest in reading this poem, note that whale songs of “mourning” when a “loved one” dies have been documented in real life. They differ from all other whale songs.

WHALES
The journey I ask of him, so deep, so unspoken

     he cannot sound its depths 

I swim and sing with whales

He pursues me in his wind-born ship

     harpoon ready
       
He throws triumphant, certain

     Pierces my boundless heart

I roll with the sea, sounding my anguish
     my blood spirals red down the gray-green sea
     my force rises, a haze above my ravaged form
 

He shouts his victory standing Ahab-like
     atop the fading light of my skin

Chest heaving, he breathes in my death’s primal scent

He believes he has captured my essence
                In truth
     he has shattered his own

Background:
Interestingly, although they are enormous, Blue Whales are not predatory, but whalers are.  As a species, almost all whales are totally harmless to people (other than through accidental collisions), but people harm each other every hour of every day, not to mention what the still-existent whaling industry (Iceland, Norway, Japan, etc.) does to whales. Humans just keep overrunning the planet and gobbling up resources, including many of the most majestic creatures Earth has ever known. It seemed to me that disturbed romantic relationships suffer from many of the troubles listed above: killing the beautiful, mourning a great loss, and the pervasive use of verbal and emotional “weapons.”

When I wrote the poem above, I was thinking of a Blue Whale finding, then losing, a mate. In the human comparison, a great joy rises in finding a partner; however, losing one causes commensurate heartache. Of course, the obvious allusion to Captain Ahab and the White Whale resides within the poem – an addition to the image of the Blue, not a contradiction.

Exploration 1: What is the “journey” referenced in the first line of the poem?

Exploration 2: One entity in the poem swims and sings; the other depends on a ship to carry him across the water. This fact may shed light on the capabilities of each, emotionally, environmentally, and physically.

Exploration 3: If you care to, revisit the scene in Moby Dick where Ahab encounters the whale for the last time. What happens between them bears on the meaning of this poem. (You don’t have to read that section of the book if you are short on time. Just google a summary.

Exploration 4: Who can claim “victory” in the poem’s encounter?

Exploration 5: Consider whether or not the whale makes a good metaphor in this piece.

Exploration 6: Does the whale as metaphor seem appropriate to you?

Hopefully, despite the sad themes in this poem, the loveliness of it comes through as well. This is new territory for the Monday poetry posts. Since almost all of us experience relationship difficulties of greater and lesser import, the poem may offer a portal to understanding what happens when relationships fail. Or does it?

May you swim and sing with whales,
Jack Pine Savage