HAMPTON RENAISSANCE
the red whale
amarah ennis
knowing you persuades me more than the bible of our immortality.
herman melville to nathaniel hawthorne, nov. 1851
for months
we have trailed him.
the red whale.
and the very air
stinks
of brine, and sulfur.
elusive, awful
waves jump into view
and the sun-sets
them aflame.
hair stuck
wild with sea salt
heat and fatigue we
ready our harpoons.
be my anchor.
i shall be yours and
we will keep steady
in this roiling tempest.
tonight we
duel a demon
the lord leviathan who
boils
the water he touches
who crushes and swallows
and swallows
without teeth.
vanity save us
make us immortal
burn our faces
in the crest
of each wave
our names
in the roar
of the sea
oh, but the devil
will not be damned
his ragged flukes
a whip
a shield
a cannon.
hold my hand.
we will shoot
together
at this beast that
torments us
in our waking hours
in our dreams
in our fantasies.
was it i
or you
who slayed that
goliath?
our pride is lost
in water
churning red
red
red like blood like
you
plunging your hand
into my chest
me
plunging my hand
into yours.
lash the
crimson king
to the ship
and so too
will we wrap
our chains.
you to me
me to you.
pull his crown of
spermaceti
from his head.
we will swim
against each other
kings
reigning over
rich oil tides.
peel his ribmeat
from his bones.
we’ll raise those
ivory scaffolds as our
wedding arches.
