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A
Arrow
Jun 26, 2010 ⭐ View statistics (Premium feature)

The Sea Pen & The Sea Star

A fragile lures where day is
dark, and abyssal winds pass
for a beating heart.

The hands are white, the fingers
fine--but know her and know venom.
That form belies.

A sea star hunts across the sands,
glides–engulfs her in the blue, so blue!
and sparks such eerie light

*Sea pens are a kind of marine life that exhibits bioluminescence when touched. They look sort of like a quill made of sea anemones. The sea star is one of their predators.

 
— Arrow, Jun 26, 2010

About This Poem

About the Author

Country/Region: USA

Favorite Poets: Lucille Clifton; Adrienne Rich; Gerard Manley Hopkins; Philip Larkin; Anna Swir; Christina Rossetti; Hilaire Belloc; John Betjeman; Frederick Goddard Tuckerman; Yevgeny Yevtushenko

More from this author

Critiques

M

magics02

15 years 11 months ago

Kind of neat there arrow

May I call you by your first name and is it Arrow, arrow by day arrow by night won't you come and share the light LOL Magics
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

Thanks Mona.

I love the ocean, the shore and all its creatures and my poems often have ocean themes. I'm not much for travel but have been thinking about going to CA as I hear it has some amazing opportunities to check out sea life. Arrow I am and Arrow I will stay, nestled in my quiver of privacy. It's nothing personal. It's how everyone knows me.
M

magics02

15 years 11 months ago

Glad to know you Arrow

If you get a chance I wrote of the Oceans Decline, you may visit it if you wish and I also love the ocean and am devastated of the turn of events still going on with the oil. I just made that poem up for you in my above comment not for you to come here. LMAO that was funny I was like what is he talking about with the traveling thing. Peace Mona Magics
Seren

Seren

15 years 11 months ago

Dear Arrow

beautiful ... I used to go snorkeling and diving off the coast of NSW, Qld I have seen some of the most breathtaking underwater sights in the world .. the great barrier reef is really something if you ever get the time to visit Australia love JayCee (Quote~~"It is by universal misunderstanding that all agree. For if, by ill luck, people understood each other, they would never agree. "--Charles Baudelaire)
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

I'd like to see that.

I hear Australia is fascinating in terms of nature - there is only so much the zoo and the aquarium can offer but I visit repeatedly nonetheless and use the internet for the rest. Do you know that book about Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? He was always talking about moving to Australia and maybe I will, too. Sea pens, for anyone who'd like to see one type: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMq26GtVAVY&feature=fvst Thanks for coming by.
Seren

Seren

15 years 11 months ago

Dear Arrow

I had to go to my daughters room to find the book, I had it when I was little but in our copy I was sure that it said he always wanted to go to Timbuktu,and it does lol when I read your message I had to go check thought my memory was going thanks for reminding me I had forgotten I owned it I have seen sea pens in situ they are really very beautiful love JayCee (Quote~~"It is by universal misunderstanding that all agree. For if, by ill luck, people understood each other, they would never agree. "--Charles Baudelaire)
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

Funny!

I guess if you already live in Australia, then you must go somewhere else.
B

barbsdad2003

15 years 11 months ago

I clicked ...

and found them. So breathtaking, the golden form. I've never viewed such a thing. I can see how you'd be inspired to write concerning them. Thank you for the reference shared. Thank you for the write, which comes even more to life for me postobservation of your subject(s). Chuck
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

Appreciate the feedback

I plan on making a few changes to this when I have the energy. While in favor of poetic license, there are some inaccuracies here that have to be corrected (e.g., the tentacles don't really "cross" and they are not "buds" per se since the Sea Pen is an animal, not a plant.) But Rome wasn't built in a day!
B

barbsdad2003

15 years 11 months ago

I ...

did note the behavior of one golden/orange sea pen in particular: he/she/it would release the foot from the supporting surface and place it elsewhere nearby ... and then repeat. Very animal-like, yes. Although I have to acknowledge that critters like anemones don't behave nearly as much animal-like as I saw in your referenced video. And they're considered animal versus plant. Yup, I agree. The inaccuracies you mention stretch too far for poetic license to apply. I do look forward to any fixes. Thanx again, Chuck
R

raskin

15 years 11 months ago

Great poem, the first line

Great poem, the first line had a great hook. Encouraging me to read more. Nice to include info on sea pens. raskin
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

I had mixed feelings about the first line,

didn't know how confusing it would be to use "fragile" as a noun instead of an adjective but nothing else was working right. I'm glad it worked out. Thanks for the feedback.
xena465

xena465

15 years 11 months ago

The Sea

I'm not surprised with your fascination with the sea and sea-life. It’s vast and can never be explored enough...Beautiful Arrow. PS. I love your info on the sea pens too. I didn't know about them. Xena Quote: Science is what you know; philosophy is what you don't know. - Bertrand Russell
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

Vast and

unimaginable, too. I learned about the giant squid a couple of years ago (length of up to 59 feet and eyes 10 inches in diameter) and how they think the Kraken of mythology may be this rarely seen creature. I'm fascinated by the idea that myths and monsters may truly be real. The world is remarkable, esp. the sea. Thanks for commenting.
R

raskin

15 years 11 months ago

Even better, great

Even better, great revision. Short but real tightly written. raskin
A

Arrow

15 years 11 months ago

Thanks for the re-read.

I'm still not crazy about Stanza 2 but it's an improvement and the best I can do today. Who knows what this poem will look like in six months?