so very few left and few who remember
but I’ve seen them breach
leaping out of the water that holds us
like clutches but they rose
thousands of pounds of gorgeous
enormous stunning—
they used to siphon through their baleen
so much plankton flippers plashing
and the songs they sang sold albums
gold and platinum lit lamps filtered water
not my element I can barely
pull myself out of a pool by the ladder
these all-muscle miracles
nursed their mammal-young
traveled the world in their grief
heaving their heavy souled sobs
like rock stars into empty air
no lit-lighters packed stadiums
no awe in applause
gone along with the way water lapped at the shore
giants everywhere now no more
once the largest bodies alive engaging
a boatful of human Giacometti-like gawkers
they danced beside us breathing
air we think of as only ours—the shock
of seeing the planet in a photo
taken from space
that hollowed out humility
trying to comprehend immense distance
spiraling away
as if this spinning earth itself
could be going going gone
—
Emma Goldman-Sherman’s plays have been produced on four continents and include Abraham’s Daughters available as a podcast at TheParsnipShip.com. Their poetry is published or forthcoming in Toyon, Gigantic Sequins, The Mersey Review, Ink in Thirds, Anti-Heroin Chic, and others. Emma works as a neuro-affirming coach and teaches for the Dramatists Guild Institute. They support writers at bravespace.online and write about wholeness and creativity at goldmansherman.substack.com.
