Captured from the sea

All day visitors gawked at

Until her sanity broke

And she began to fight back

Unable to control their beast

Debating slaughter or release

Weighing whether she has the means

To make it on her own

If in this position to kill the creature

Or take a risk and let her go

Remember one option gives her no chance

While possibilities the other holds

One day you will make tough decisions

So keep in mind this tale

Do you take the leap of faith

Or do you shoot the whale?

SWD 02/2018

Updated 06/2018

I started this poem at a time when a marine mammal theme park was debating what to do with the whales that could no longer be in shows. One floating rumour was that they didn’t think these whales could survive in the wild anymore so “mercy killing” was a solution. I thought about how awful that was, killed in captivity for fear the whale might die in the wild. It makes more sense to give them any kind of chance to feel freedom if both options inevitably result in death. I often think about this when making decisions. One choice is usually certain while another may have surprising outcomes, and I am much too curious to choose the first option.