There,
at the bottom of being,
where the water that makes
this planet a world
is the color of spacetime
the octopus —
with her body-shaped mind
and her eight-arm embrace
of alien realities,
with her colorblind vision
sightful of polarized light
and her perpetually awestruck
lidless eye —
can see
shades of blue we cannot conceive.
Call it god
if you must
lean on the homely
to fathom the holiness
of the fathomless whole.
And meanwhile,
up here,
we swim amid particles
we cannot perceive
folded into dimensions
we cannot imagine
to tell stories about
what is real and
what is possible,
and what it means to be.
A blink of time ago
we thought the octopus
impossible,
we thought this blue world
lifeless
below three hundred fathoms
until in 1898 —
an epoch after Bach
scribbled in the margin
of a composition
“Everything that is possible is real” —
we plunged our prosthetic eye
deep into the blue
and found a universe of life.
There,
the octopus,
godless and possible,
lives.
Are any of her three hearts breaking
for us
and our impossible blues?
[…] Octopus Blues […]
This was a wonderful poem and such a eye opening video. I never knew the octopus was so gentle.
I fell in love with the poem.
Wonderful last lines. 👏
I also saw “My Octopus Teacher,” and found it fascinating! Your poem is a beautiful appreciation for this unusual animal as well as a reminder that what is possible extends beyond our imagination. Very special poem, Bridget.
We always look to the sky for answers, perhaps we should look in the other direction?
Good point!
A fine poem to accompany a magical video
You used the perfect word: “Magical”
I am glad you liked it too.
Animals have an intelligence we rarely give them credit for. Pragmatic, curious, tender and efficient. The diver in the video too can relate a unique appreciation of this creature to a wider audience! Its amazing we are still discovering things in the animal world. Nature is mind-blowing! Great post, Bridget!
So true, we underestimate them or perhaps overestimate ourselves. When I look back at the dogs in our past and our Patches today, it’s fascinating how much they understand, not just by my gestures or tone, but by words. A crow came every morning to my grandma’s window and demanded to be fed, when we forgot her she ‘knocked’ at the glass, even the cows in the barn. As for the Octopus, I believe they are very intelligent and sensitive creatures.
Some people think dogs domesticated us, for their benefit. Not the other way around. They observe our every move and even know our mood when we need comfort. So special.
Birds are incredibly intelligent creatures. I have a magpie family that comes to visit me when I am in the garden. We have been friends for a year or so. It is now nesting season so I am glad they know me and won’t swoop on me when I go walking. One did become a little too friendly once.
https://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2020/09/23/an-invitation-to-an-old-friend/?preview=true
That’s a beautiful story, very well written too. Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful words Bridget and, oh, what a marvellous video. I shall search out “My Octopus Teacher.”
Yes, please do and watch it, it’s such a great film. Nature at its best.
beautiful and I especially like “Everything that is possible is real” —
That’s the sentence I loved the most. “Everything that is possible is real. ”
What a statement. 🙂
A joyful read.
I find Octopuses fascinating, ever since I had the fortune to watch “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix, a documentary I would have never watched if it wouldn’t have won so many awards. If you ever come across that movie, watch it. You, like me, will sit in silence, heart wide open, stunned.
I know it well 🙂
🥰