Welcome to Poetry Friday! Today it’s hosted by the multitalented Michelle Kogan Here at More Art 4 All. Be sure to stop by and see what art and poetry Michelle has for us!
I really enjoyed and was touched by all the poems celebrating Mary Lee last week upon her retirement from teaching.
Today I’m sharing a short video I took on a whale watch in Gloucester. It was a windy, beautiful day. Because of Covid, the number of people on board the boat was limited, so it was pleasantly uncrowded. You never know when a whale will surface, but I managed to capture a mom and her calf, making the four hour trip well worth it.
After the trip, I felt silly that I was actually a little scared of going on a whale watch having recently read Moby Dick.
A WHALE AT ONE O’CLOCK!
shouts the deck hand twice on the loud speaker.
We rush to the bow,
whoosh and spray,
two whales on display,
showing off for one hundred people–
not a harpoon-scarred Great White
but a mom humpback and her calf, romping.
©Janice Scully 2021
I also got a shot of a whale flashing its tail.
I Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather the U.S. and that our Poetry Friday friends in Australia are enjoying fall.
Janice, thank you for the video and lovely post about whale watching in Gloucester. I’ve never been to your part of the country, but I hope to someday. I used to go whale watching off the coast of California for our third grade field trip. It was always very special, magical, really. When you see one, like you said it seeing the mom and her calf made “the four hour trip well worth it.”
I loved these lines:
“whoosh and spray,
two whales on display”
It was also great to hear your explanation of how reading Moby Dick influenced your trip.
Janice, how exciting to actually see the dance of the whales-up, down, swoosh, spray. I have never seen one so I thank you for this experience. Your poem is delightful with the touch of onomatopoeia and the use of the action word romping.
Lovely poem and video, Janice. We had a whale watch trip in Alaska that was out of this world… it seemed as if one whale decided to show off for us. Ha! Moby Dick is on my list this year. I read it years ago, but I need a reread. Thanks for sparking my memories with “whale at 1 o’clock!!!”
How wonderful that “whoosh and spray” that thanks to you, we can see them, too! Thanks, Janice!
Wow!! So cool to see a whale and her calf. Thanks for sharing the video and your lovely poem. Melville would have been very proud of you. 🙂
What a wonderful experience! Thanks for recording it and writing about it, so we could enjoy it too!
Living near the sea, we are occasionally visited by whales swimming into Port Philip Bay. It one of nature’s great pleasures to see these majestic creatures up close. Thank you Janice, for taking us with you and sharing this special experience. Video and words beautifully intersect to recreate the moment- ‘whoosh and spray’ indeed.
LOVE this! I’ve gone whale watching only once…but it was so exhilarating! And, how precious to see a mama and baby team. Kudos to you for reading Moby Dick. That’s a book I just couldn’t do….even if there was some fab whoosh and spray.
When I was in eighth grade we were assigned Moby Dick. I didn’t read it and failed the test. My friend cheated and read notes on it and got 100! So I’ve always wanted to actually read it. It took me a while! It was a bit daunting.
What fun to go on a whale watch and catch sight of a few whales. Your poem delightfully catches some of the enthusiasm of the whales sighting, thanks Janice!
I was assigned Moby Dick in high school too (or was it junior high? Anyway….) And I never finished it; it remains on my tbr list. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your whale sighting with us. The whoosh and spray put me right there with you!