Like the esteemed Peter Benchley before me, I’ve come to regret the disservice I’ve done to the noble shark. His work caused a global explosion of shark killings, mine a minuscule pang of internal regret. Obviously the two are easily comparable. I wrote this just a few moments ago, An Ode To Terror.
1916 attacks aside
I’ve no true reason to deride
Torpedoes of the seven seas
Barely age and no disease
400 plus different kinds
Most disinclined to our behinds
400 million years of life
Then come humans and fear is rife
So we search them out, then attack
Enemies who can’t fight back
Not the first time we’ve let our fear
Destroy things we should’ve held dear.
I don’t believe I’ve eve used numbers in a poem before. neat. Anyone unfamiliar there is a fantastic documentary about the 1916 attacks which were Benchley’s inspiration for the novel, “Jaws”.
As I did mention earlier, irrational or otherwise, I am still rather wary of sharks. I do however also make it a habit not to harpoon any in revenge either. Does that make me better than anyone else? I imagine not, but those harpoons are expensive and I’m not wasting mine on any lame sharks!
Peace to you all. Fish, Human, woodland mammals, other.
-Alex Blaikie
dreadpoetssobriety
A broken mind held together by cellophane and some tack.
Only a couple of days ago the news reported that thousands of sharks have been sighted on the East Coast . Like a Convention. I liked your description of” The Torpedoes of the Seven Seas…”
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