Two Sides

What would it be like to be a dolphin?

To swim and caper in the ocean, filled

With the eternal effervescence that

Distinguishes a dolphin from all its

Brethren in the sea. But to have that freedom

Dampened by the constant nightmare of

a dorsal fin cutting the water.

Hmmm, a great white shark, then, with deadly grace

And a powerful torso. I would stalk forth,

A mighty hunter, and watch as the fish

Scattered before me, a thousand silver darts

Streaming in one direction. But that same blessing

Is also a curse. The loneliness of

Everlasting savagery coupled

With the morbid emptiness of the

Beast's existence would deter even the

Most gruesome minded.

Yet all creatures are vicious and brutal,

Though still untouched by the rules and regulations

Of our world that dictate the very fabric

Of our lives, from the very visible hand

Of the law to the unseen hand of

Monetary obligations.

For surely with the ocean before me,

The world of tension and strain would all fade away

Into a far simpler and idyllic life.

Perhaps I will be a school of tiny fish,

Minds all linked together like a hive,

Letting the currents take me all the way

To the magnificent Great Barrier Reef.

How wonderful it would be to marvel

At the vibrant fish of all shapes and sizes

Swimming together in their millions,

Milling around the unearthly coral

In a constant traffic of life and vitality.

But I would lose myself among the

Silvery school, reduced to a rippling blanket

At any predator's approach.

A starfish then? They need not worry about

Being swept up into the swarm,

Solitary creatures as they are,

Clinging to crevices and weeds alike,

Observing the life of the sea. But to

Move from one rock to the next: a step for

A human but a mile for a starfish,

Dragging its lethargic body along

The seabed.

In the end, there are two sides to every tale;

Pros and cons facing each other, two faces

Of the same coin. It's nice to sit here and

Speculate about the myriad of

Creatures I could be. But maybe, just maybe,

It's even better to just be me.