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.