(Incorporating words and phrases from Moby Dick)
here is a rifled heart, half-unhinged,
by the visible absence of the whale;
bare words and facts cannot sustain
his vision of that beast, twice risen
to the surface; he needs the very thing
before him; as a relic or an omen,
its being is no more than an almighty
forlornness, an outline and skeleton
lacking flesh and muscle, mere lath
and plaster, where he desires a wall.
This mortar will not clamp to the surface,
it has no stick to it. Therefore, what
is he left with? Only a pile of dust
and a scrimp of gray skin: one day they will say
that such a creature could never really have existed
Illustrator: Stephanie Monohan is an illustrator living in Brooklyn. She is drawn to the sea, the occult, and the occasional cute anime girl. You can see more of her work here and here.
Tags: michalle gould, poems, poetry, Stephanie Monohan, whales
Related Posts
Poem is lovely but THAT ILLUSTRATION THO
I have a deep desire to embroider that illustration. Lovely poem, gorgeous illustration.
I have a deep desire to embroider that illustration. Lovely poem, gorgeous illustration.
I love me some Melville/found poetry/pictorial representations of sperm whales, so this is hitting all the right spots.
I love this. Very nice, both the poem and the illustration.
LOVE THIS.
I want this poem, and I want a print of that whale. Heck, print of both. How! How! Also, thank you for this.
I want this poem, and I want a print of that whale. Heck, print of both. How! How! Also, thank you for this.
Beautiful poem, beautiful illustration! I love that I can count on the Toast not being filled with comments about how Moby Dick is dumb and boring. <3
Beautiful poem, beautiful illustration! I love that I can count on the Toast not being filled with comments about how Moby Dick is dumb and boring. <3
Wow, that is gorgeous!
Love this.
Love this.