Ode to Sperm Whales

By Alexandra Greenberg

Dark, prunish flesh,

A pale gray beneath the water.

Their knuckles of skin mesh

To form large creatures who saunter,

Longing with soft black eyes 

To eat fish to their demise.

To think such a meek form

Could hide such power—

Strong fluke to brew waters a storm,

Cony teeth to make all cower,

And a dangerous voice,

Loud and signaling rejoice.

All whales are carnivorous,

But few hunt to the extent of these.

For their codas are rigorous,

Each whale traveling to far seas

To hunt of all creatures amid,

Deep-sea fish and the giant squid.

Oh praise be to the brave,

The mighty sperm whales

Who send squids to their grave,

And in doing so must form gales,

Beneath the water, and even so

With methods only they know.

Sperm whales, ever elusive.

Years of studying them,

And they remain reclusive

To humans, keeping the gem

Of knowledge between whales and deep,

For in dark waters they chose to creep.

Whales believe no man must know

Whales’ tactics to capture

The squids in which they tow

Between their teeth, yet the allure

Remains and man tries and fails

To know the secrets of sperm whales.

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Biography

My name is Alexandra Greenberg and I am a high school sophomore. Outside school, I enjoy writing and practicing the flute and aikido. At school I participate in the school’s math competition team, pre-medical track, and HOSA club.

Why did you choose to submit this category(s) of artwork/writing out of the many available category options?

I chose to write an ode because the length and tone would allow me to properly praise these creatures.

How do you resonate with your piece? Why is it personal to you?

In middle school, we were taught a large, new unit on sperm whales in my marine science class that provided me with a general overview of the sperm whale diet and what makes these mammals interesting.