Wednesday, March 1, 2017

"Whale Watching Off New England" by Lauren McBride, Frequent Contributor


Whale Watching Off New England
Humpbacks rise into bubble rings.
On deck we hold cameras    and noses.
 --Lauren McBride

Poet’s Notes:  While whale watching off the coast of New England many years ago, our boat was surrounded by a group of Humpbacks. Two things I will never forget: the delight each time one of these immense creatures breached, sometimes coming almost totally out of the water, and the bad breath exhaled by the whales to create their bubble rings for feeding (pictured).

Editor’s Note:  Short, but what an image!  And what a smell (in a good way)!  Educational too.  And the title gives it place and the touch of the cold Atlantic--can you feel it? 

On a personal note, this one reminded me of the thrill of seeing a rare Right whale with my parents and brother on a whale watch forty years ago.  It was a nice memory.  For a short video depicting the phenomenon described in the poem, see:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJpZ3uuXnss.

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