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STARFISH

By Hannah Baxter


Starfish ravage the dead sea lion,

insatiate stellate horde,

spiny limbs latch on,

degloving front flippers

down to bare bones.


Brutal blossoms,

falling in pastel peonies

and nectarine oranges

stomachs extended

through engulfing mouths.


Other seals soar over,

an impassive flock

of undersea birds,

observing decay

from a safe distance.


Like a spider’s spinnerets,

they draw the beast back

into life’s web, tan body

converted to pure energy,

bottle-feeding biome.


Olfactory eye spots

taste death

floating in the ocean,

like a feather adrift

in this fragile life.


© Copyright Dark Poets Club

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