Watasenia scintillans
Darting in the deep cyan,
Sparkling as the firefly might
Commencing dusky summer nights.
You and all your kindred shine
Dancing in the deep’ning brine,
Flash and glint and find your way,
Interlace, caress and play.
Flicker to attract the one
Who kindles and ignites the sun.
Bathe in being at your prime
Until your light fades faint with time.
A life so short, a stature small
blush and glimmer for us all.
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What might an enope be? I can’t find it in my dictionaries. Wikipedia suggests a moth, but your tag implies a form of squid. Your poem speaks of cyan (which could be sea or sky), of brine, but also sunlight. I’m puzzled!
John
Thanks for visiting and commenting. This is a poem about the enope (firefly) squid, a small bioluminescent squid native to Japanese waters. It has a short life span of only about a year, and apparently the females will luminesce to attract potential mates (the one who will ignite the sun). I wrote this in response to a challenge from a friend’s blog to write a poem about a quid or octopus.
What a challenge! I would say you well and truly succeeded: the poem is a delightful eulogy to these alien and otherwise unprepossessing creatures. It celebrates the astonishing variety and beauty in the natural world.
In general, it can be taken as a metaphor for making the most of your time.