Before a grey whale falls,
she breaches ocean’s sky,
lies limp—still
in the waves.
Before a grey whale falls,
her organs liquefy,
gases slowly like memoirs
hiss from time’s pursed
lips on deathbeds,
some secrets spoil
in the grave.
When a grey whale falls
& descends the slow, dark
miles to midnight zone,
she dies not, rather
her body seeds
hearts—blooms
a decades-long flower:
Sea’s milieu.
