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a jellyfish moment
| Open Poetry #45 |
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a jellyfish moment |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia 
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Staring into a coastal aquarium’s jellyfish tank, she ponders the myriad matrix of life forms which swim the seas, oblivious to man and all his diverse destructive machinations. For even when their once-liveable eco-system becomes putrid and fouled by man’s misdeeds, most species cannot fathom the connection. But as the young woman watches the colorful jellyfish in a giant glass bowl, she wonders what dolphins and whales comprehend beyond the fish nets and harpoons. What do they see when looking at you and me? |
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| © Copyright 2009 Kathleen Kacy Stafford - All Rights Reserved | |||
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brneyedgrly Senior Member
since 2009-06-08
Posts 1125nowhere and everywhere |
kacy~ only you would wonder about what the jellyfish think  love this... ~shellie don't wait for the storms to end~ |
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Marchmadness Member Rara Avis
since 2007-09-16
Posts 9271So. El Monte, California |
Who knows, maybe they do more thinking than we know. I know that other animals are capable of more than we give them credit for. I , myself, have a cat who learned (all on her own) to use the toilet and takes great delight in racing me to the bathroom when she sees that I am in a hurry. Ida |
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Margherita Member Seraphic
since 2003-02-08
Posts 22236Eternity |
Always love your voice in defense of Nature and all the living creatures, in this case of the sea and fish. Sustainable development seems so often utopia. I believe dolphins and whales are highly evolved animals and they communicate their messages to those who learned to listen. Very significant, beautifully written poem, dear Kacy. Love, Margherita ps oh, dear Ida I adore your cat story! Of course I never doubted the special intelligence of the cat! |
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miscellanea Member Elite
since 2004-06-24
Posts 4060OH |
Hi Midnitesun, I'm reeled in by such a neat title. I don't know about the marine world, but life here on the farm shows me animals are much more cognizant of our actions that we might want to think! At least I think so... This is what I like about your writing, you're always looking from both inside and outside of the fishbowl! Take care, miscellanea |
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Robert E. Jordan Member Rara Avis
since 2008-01-25
Posts 8541Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Yo dear Kacy, Look out for the Portuguese Man-of-War, they know, they know. Nice poem Hon. Love Bobby |
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A Romantic Heart Member Ascendant
since 1999-09-03
Posts 5496Forever In Your Heart |
Thanks Kacy for reminding us of the jellyfish and seeing the world through their eyes! ~ARH  [This message has been edited by A Romantic Heart (07-20-2009 04:18 AM).] |
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Alison
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy! |
Maybe they are looking into a time that does not include us. Maybe they are telling their children of how it once was and how it will be again. And saying that it serves us right. A |
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D.Lester Young Senior Member
since 2001-12-08
Posts 1219Austin, Tx |
The Uni-Verse of reflections upon your words with penetration of insight, very nice. |
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Heart2Heart Senior Member
since 2009-05-15
Posts 738Scotland/Norway |
Fun pondering indeed, most enjoyable Heart2Heart |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
Thanking each of you for your feedback. The variety of responses proves diversity is the natural order of life. I do believe many species are cognizent of humans and what we do to the oceans. Some may wish our species will become extinct soon?  |
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2islander2 Member Ascendant
since 2008-03-12
Posts 6825by the sea |
Hello Midnitsun, dolphins and whales better ignore human ...Men are scaring if they kill nature they will die but don't seem to comprehend that....I saw the aquarium of Baltimore in summer 1996; thare are a lot of jellyfish there, all different in size, form and color and it is a tremendous memory, if you go to Baltimore don't miss it. Thanks for the magnificent poem. yann |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Tears for the truth of this, Kacy . . . I particularly resonate with Ida's, Margherita's, Miscellanea's, your and Yann's responses - and, of course, your poem. Thank you so much for caring for all creatures - and not just caring for them, but standing up so strongly in their defence! Nobody does it quite like you! Owl [This message has been edited by OwlSA (07-20-2009 05:45 PM).] |
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Heart2Heart Senior Member
since 2009-05-15
Posts 738Scotland/Norway |
Oh no never Midnitesun ! So much is going on to preserve nature both on land and in the sea. Sometimes we are very quick to catch the negative signals and don't see the positive ones. I know this for a fact, because I am heavily involved in environmental work on behalf of my employer. And working in an industry which does contribute to pollution both in air and water (metal alloy production for the steel industry), I am proud to say my company is one of the leading contributors to diminish pollution of nature. They have spent millions of dollars in equipment to restrict CO2 emission and were the first to install mercury removal plants in the world, so the waste water that enters the sea from our production plants is almost drinkable. It is strictly controlled. And we meet regularly with such institutions as Green Peace who have very open access to all our data on emissions into air/water. One can in fact fish directly outside the plant in the river passing by, there are salmon and trout there and probably jellyfish as well . My comment came as a spontaneous and humouristic reaction at the jellyfish looking out at us humans from inside the tank and the thoughts they might have about us. I will remove my comment if you (and Owl?) don't like it, but I hope we can allow some humour still in our commenting where we are able to see it without offending the poet. All kind thoughts to you dear friend. Hope to share more with you on the environmental issue, we are very much advanced on the subject where I live and work, in Norway.Heart2Heart |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
Thanking each of you for the thoughtful replies. Sometimes I write tongue-in-cheek or devils-advocate POV, but may be too subtle. There are elements of truth that overlap all aspects of this issue of human responsibilty for pollution. Yes, many species are aware of our actions....maybe more than we are at times! Katriona, absolutely no problems from me with what you've written. It is true there are hundreds of fine companies that choose to do the right thing, even if the government doesn't impose penalties. The problem is, we may be a couple of decades too late in addressing some critical issues, and the snowball or domino effects of pollution are visible around the globe. Some interesting informative books: The Death of Our Planet's Species by Martin Gorke; Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken; The End of Nature by Bill McKibben. There are many many more, but these are definitely worth reading. (PS, I've been an active supporter of Greenpeace, Audubon, Sierra Club, various Native Plant Societies, as well as the Nature Conservancy for over 30 years. Each plays a role in education and activism to protect Gaia) |
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Heart2Heart Senior Member
since 2009-05-15
Posts 738Scotland/Norway |
I'm happy to make your acquaintance dear lady and good luck with your very important work. Many of us are doing just what comes naturally, be it for the preservation of endangered species, prevention of animal cruelty or protecting the environment. Many don't know how important this is. I work very closely with the Norwegian environmental group Bellona, who presently are trying to stop drilling on a new site for oil and gas on the Norwegian side of the Barents Sea. And I've stopped eating tuna fish, so has my family, one of my favourite dishes by the way, because of the slaughtering going on in South East Asia, the tuna fish is becoming almost extinct because of this, so is the krill, the main diet of the whale, because we humans use it as a diet supplement and the western world is so obese we are almost rolling. And of course I am fully aware Norway has a lot on their conscience regarding the subject of whaling and killing of seals, which is another reason I don't take those seal oil supplements and am constantly "bothering" the local politicians to enforce laws which are not taken very kindly by the fishermen, who have no other means of income. But just let me assure you that you have come in touch with one heck of an animal rights acitivist through me in Norway. I don't want to tell you how much havoc I have caused the Norwegian Government concerning their ruthless killing last year of a small wolf pack that strayed over the border from Sweden and killed a couple of straggly sheep that had been left out roaming the mountains by a farmer not bothering to collect them in autumn and who were doomed to die a slow death in the winter snows anyway. You are probably right that some things are irrevocably damaged for always, but let us all unite in trying to preserve what's left, be it by ways of writing poetry or demanding to meet with the politicians and local communal representatives to speak the rights of those who cannot fend for themselves. Katriona |
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The Lady Member Rara Avis
since 2005-12-26
Posts 7634The Southwest |
the jellies and I thank you Kacy for both your poem and your activism |
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