By J.J. Tindall
My Emotional Shedd Aquarium
So my heart
Is in a Beaux Arts Neo-Classical
Design, steel frame clad
In terra cotta brick
(Molded, not carved)
From local terra cotta clay,
Rooftop ringed with repeating
Tridents of Poseidon
In case you aim to mess
With it.
Inside, you can stroll
Through my Wild Reef,
Beneath my bevy of shimmying Sharks:
Ginsu the Sawfish as Rage–
Watch it glide determinedly overhead–
Guitarfish Lucille as Shame,
Zebra Eli as Anguish.
Amazon Rising features
My Resentment Piranha,
My Angst Anaconda
And the Freshwater Stingrays
Of Distrust.
But it’s not all blues:
Joy is a shape-shifting
Octopus, relying on silence, exile
And cunning rather than
Brute force, constantly addressing,
Adjusting and adapting,
Black ink in lieu of black belt.
Desire is an elastic Eel,
Elation a Pacific, White-sided Dolphin
In full flight.
Under-rated,
Under-billed,
Under-estimated is
Noble Contentment:
Bob, the Grand Cayman
Blue Iguana.
The warm core is an Oceanarium,
Where you can feed and pet
The Man with the Plan,
The Host with the Most,
The Star of our Show:
Beethoven the Whale
As All of My Love!
Blue? Sperm? Killer?!
The coolest, the calmest,
The most sophisticated: Beluga.
Beethoven the Rock Star,
Replete with private trailers
For himself and his make-up
& special effects people,
Detailed contract rider,
Profit participation,
Personalized director’s chair
And monogrammed bath-robe.
A veritable Johnny LaRue!
Sometimes my Love gives birth,
But not all new Loves
Survive in captivity.
Yet we
Strive on diligently
As all things
Must pass!
Love always gets
Top billing, but my center,
My strength and my eternal respite
Lay surely with Iguana Bob:
My Happy Rock,
My Chill Buddha,
My Dharma Iggy!
Contentment comes first,
Contentment reigns long,
Contentment wins out.
Without Bob,
My heart is empty
And
Love is nothing.
–
J.J. Tindall is the Beachwood’s poet-in-residence. He welcomes your comments. Chicagoetry is an exclusive Beachwood collection-in-progress.
–
More Tindall:
* Chicagoetry: The Book
* Ready To Rock: The Music
* Kindled Tindall: The Novel
* The Viral Video: The Match Game Dance
Posted on October 3, 2016