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.