Kiwi Konexions: Whale Stranding
Glen Taylor's beautiful and profound poem about whales stranded on a beach brings an important message to humankind.
What right had they
To come here from the deep.
To disrupt my mind,
Disturb my sleep?
What right had they
To cause me so much grief?
What right had they
To show they loved another
More than man can say he loves his brother?
What right had they?
What right had they to stay close by his side,
When hope of life within him had long died,
What right had they to sacrifice their own
To ensure he did not die alone?
I move towards them slowly o’er the sand,
Their silhouettes so stark against the land,
Our cousins from the ages long ago,
Caught between the ebb tide and the flow.
Their great weight crushes every part,
Bursting lungs and shattering the heart,
Blood flowing fast from every orifice,
Pain-filled moans assaulting listening ear.
My hand, no bigger than a butterfly’s,
Flutters against those great and mighty sides,
Trying to impart the love I feel,
As tears from their eyes into my eyes steal.
And now I sit dejected on this strand,
With aching sobs and head held in my hand,
And ask what right had they?
The rite as old as time itself is old,
To show another being that we care.
That right was theirs.
