I Am Whale

by Maria Lisa Polegatto

​
As I swim through the ocean
Once tranquil and free
The world whizzes over the top of me
No thought, no care for my family
​

As I gulp and take a breath
Dodging hulls, I dive deep
My offspring I fear for them
They can't stay under as long as I can
​

​We breathe like humans, both mammals, but so far apart
As I try to engineer the sea
They engineer ships bigger than me
With blades that run right over me

​Gone are the days I was once feared
Sea Monsters of the past
Now becoming fables of the future
Please don't let it be

More fish I help to produce
But they blame me for emptying the fish in the sea
Yes, I eat lots but nature needs and feeds me
Some of us actually eat plankton and microscopic crustaceans 
​​

I offer my services for free
Ocean engineers are we
I sequester carbon so you can breathe
Even as I fall to the sea floor
​

I pump nutrients a plenty 
And stir up the waters so species can eat
My movements have a big worth
One drop, one ocean, one Earth
​

I travel the ocean globally
With my young in tow
Leaping and breaching as I go
Escaping the ocean noise
​

​My pod is unique
We have our own sound
We sing through the ocean
 By vibrating our ear drums

​
Our huge hearts beat
We are made for the sea
That surrounds us in blue
Once tranquil and free
​

We are held hostage in our own home
As noisy monstrosities ram into us 
As we come to the surface to breathe
Cruising the ocean was meant for me
​

​I'm not as fast as I'd like to be
To move out of the way as you speed toward me
I sleep at the warmth of the surface
As the null of the hull rushes toward me

​
We have seen to the very depths
Man might never ever see
Time is running out, not just for me
Climate is changing too fast, without more of me
​

We are trying to repopulate
Humans please understand
We are here by the grace of God
He watches over us
​

The time is now
Our benefits are mighty
We can't do it on our own
Please, release the stresses
​

We all need to coexist
Slow down and see the beauty
It's all around you
Stop and take a minute
​

One drop, one ocean, one Earth
More whales, full ocean, happy Earth
Carbon sequestered, oxygen surpassed
Please, let me breathe.
​

bit.ly/deepdivewithwhales

Deep Dive Into The Ocean Ecosystem With The Giants
A Free Learning Tool About Whales, Interconnected Species & Organism, Climate Change and Humanity.