Reluctance at first glance
defined my final haul
of bycatch left adrift
to sink I threw everything
at them & the distance from
ourselves increased
I was alarmed Scores of marine
turtles & dolphins tangled
Albatrosses caught drowned by the weight
of our task Our bloody decree
Prurient green in the scope
How was I supposed to fire
the rusty harpoon through dusk
A sound bended & wriggled
A famished wave ate the spear
& rippling rope line Rip current dragged
our weapons to rest
sprawled across seabed
All manner of gore unwilling to spread
I’d never seen a sea blush
I’d never been so ashamed
I’d never felt so preventable
How was I supposed to know
oceans are vast, open wounds
we didn’t make but shaped
into likeness inside us