Scallop (Notevember 2022, #4)
Credit to Ryan Barry for “Man-Scallop”, which inspired this poem every bit as much as the image itself did.
Who dwells in the dark, in the dull-water deep?
Who sneaks in to stab you as soon as you sleep?
Who hunts in the headlands, a hook in his hand?
It’s Man-Scallop, hybrid of ocean and land!
Who cuts up the crewmen that caught too much cod?
Who reaps every rowboat with reel, line and rod?
Whose fearfully fierce facial features are fanned?
It’s Man-Scallop, hybrid of ocean and land!
Who murders the mariners that made a mess?
Who filters that filth out with feral finesse?
Who silences sailors that stray on the strand?
It’s Man-Scallop, hybrid of ocean and land!
Who punishes people who pillage, pollute,
and lay waste to littoral locales for loot?
Who carries a kelp-coat, clams at his command?
It’s Man-Scallop, hybrid of ocean and land!
Who goes great with garlic and ghee on the grill?
Or dipped in a dish with some dukkah, or dill?
So savour this souvenir of salt air and sand:
It’s Man-Scallop, purchase it fresh, dried or canned!