ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

I've taken Maureen's advice and posted this on Facebook, but I thought I might as well post it here, too.


The Dorsal Fin

The markings are as sharp as on an orca in the wild.
The paddle-shaped pectoral fins look slightly comical, and mild.
The tail flukes still move up and down, to lift and lower the whale.
It’s the fin, the dorsal fin, that tells the tale.

The movements are as smooth as you’d expect a whale’s to be.
The tongue is just as pink as on an orca in the sea.
The eyes, the teeth, the rostrum, they all look quite the same,
But the terrible dorsal fin betrays the game.

The dorsal fin of an orca male can stand two metres high.
It’s often the only thing you’ll see, silhouetted against the sky.
But take it away from its natural home, confine it by concrete walls,
And the glorious dorsal fin soon curls and falls.

It has no expressive face to show if it’s feeling happy or sad;
Joyful or lonely, peaceful or angry, cheerful or anxious or mad.
The mouth is fixed in a gentle grin – it’s temperate, soft and wide,
But the state of the dorsal fin reflects the terrible pain inside.

So, leave them alone in the open sea. It’s better for you and me
To know they are riding the ocean waves, not bound in captivity.
The way that I see it, it’s wicked, it’s wrong; it’s a simple transgression, a sin
To do such a thing to a glorious dorsal fin.

© Stephen Whiteside 19.11.2012

Good on you Stephen - and don't forget to try and put an illustration of some sort with your work - it draws more people in.

Good idea. Thanks, Maureen. I was thinking about that, but not sure what to use. I'll have a bit of a look around.

Got a couple of things up now, Maureen!

Apart from enjoying the poem I learned something ... that orca fin soup would feed the multitude.
Wazza