Welcome to the dVerse Poets Pub for Tuesday Poetics. I’m Kim of Writing in North Norfollk, bringing you a splash of ocean.

I recently read a wonderful poem by Marjorie Saiser from her collection I Have Nothing to Say about Fire (Backwaters Press, 2016) entitled ‘The Print the Whales Make’.  You can read it here:

 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/91808/the-print-the-whales-make

What I love about this poem is the way the poet links the ring a whale’s diving draws with a human relationship, physical and spiritual, and always in the background of the poem is the ‘dark mammoth shadow’ and ‘flick of flipper’.

It’s a very personal poem, written in the first person, a love poem, but also the capturing of a moment on a boat, and the whale itself, an endangered species, a mystery of the sea. Unlike the extended metaphor in Rumi’s poem in my last Poetics prompt, this poem isn’t about how we humans differ from other creatures on this planet, but about something we have in common, a trace that always remains.

The challenge is to write a poem in the first person that compares some trait of ours with something animal. It should not be a whale, but another creature (mammal, fish, bird, insect, etc.) with which we have something in common. The title should be the animal thing, in the same way Marjorie Saiser chose ‘The Print the Whales Make’.

If you are new to the Poets Pub, here’s how to join in:

• Write a poem in response to the challenge.
• Enter a link directly to your poem and your name by clicking Mr Linky below and remember to check the little box to accept the use/privacy policy. You will find links to other poets and more will join so check back later to read their poems.
• Read and comment on other poets’ work – we all come here to have our poems read.
• Please link back to dVerse from your site/blog.
• Comment and participate in our discussion below, if you like.  We are a friendly bunch of poets.
• Have fun.