Seahorse Wisdom
Embrace the fulfilment of commitment
Eat constantly.
You’ll never get bored.
Suck crustaceans, dance
when angered, your growl–
will fall like a whisper.
When threatened, ignite your chromatophores,
stipple your chainmail with rainbows
and change direction
to confuse predators;
to lose yourself.
Go on dates,
stumble upon your perfect soulmate;
who’ll touch your pebble plates
and feel the softness oozing out.
You’ll know as soon as you dance.
You’ll sync
your tails will curl around each other
when your groove is smooth,
you’ll know.
Commit, submit…for life.
Indulge your passions with frequent pleasures.
Prepare for hundreds of babies.
Trust your mate to carry your eggs,
support him in gestation.
Wait for your heart.
Wait for your heart
to break
a hundred times.
The sea mass will weigh heaviest
on your single fragile fin
when things get rough; find an anchor,
a reed, your heart, grip tight
until the storm subsides.
It needn’t be a death sentence.
Your one back fin is gentle, so sway
with the sea and wait.
Heroes are for fairytales, but
commitment renders us real.
******
AN: A few facts about seahorses
They mate for life
The male carries the eggs
They feed constantly on small crustaceans
They camouflage by changing colours when threatened
Courtship involves dancing and curling tails together, synchronising movements
Their fragile bodies move with grace through currents, finding anchors to cling to me when in danger.
About the Creator
Teresa Renton
Inhaling life, exhaling stories, poetry, prose, flash or fusions. An imperfect perfectionist who writes and recycles words. I write because I love how it feels to make ink patterns & form words, like pictures, on a page.
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Comments (12)
Love this. Unlike any poetry I’ve read before, Truly reads somewhere between a love letter to biology and fanmail to a specific species— but the tone is intimate and comforting. Crystal clear mental imagery, and the way you lent emotional weight and a sense of individual life to a tiny little fish is pretty damn cool.
Congratulations on your top story! I love how you unwound so much information about their nature and lives. Wonder how men would handle carrying our babies for us. Probably not very well, lol.
I love seahorses, thankyou for sharing and for the interesting facts, congratulations on Top Story xx
Fantastic work Teresa! So clever in so many ways! 💕
this story on top
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Back to say congrats on cracking Top Story
This is an interesting take on families through an animal's point-of-view.
Really enjoyed reading this one! It's a unique blend of 'gentle' and 'fierce' around such a beautiful creation. Why do soooo many other species mate for life except humans?--Don't answer that! One of many favourite lines: "Stumble upon your perfect soulmate; who’ll touch your pebble plates and feel the softness oozing out." This poem is a winner! 😍
I knew that male seahorses carry the eggs but I didn't know they mate for life. Loved your poem!
👏 amazing!
Beautiful entry, ms Renton lass. Love seahorses and this poem