April is poetry month and Earth month. We join the two in this challenge. Poets wrote a poem of about 50 words about an ocean animal in the poet’s form of choice. Thanks for wonderful participation from poets near and far! Belugas, blue lobsters and sharks, oh my!

Reto poético de abril 2023; criaturas de mar

Abril es el mes de poesía y mes de la tierra. Los combinamos aquí. Escribieron un poema de menos de 50 palabras sobre una criatura de mar en la forma preferida de la o el poeta. Gracias por la participación maravillosa de poetas cercan@s y lejan@s. Belugas, langostas y tiburones, ¡caramba!

‘Shark’ comes the cry.
A triangular fin passes by.
The swimmers all flee
Leaving the sea.
But there’s nothing to fear.
Just a basking shark near
With wide open jaw
Catching plankton, nothing more.
For he has no teeth
As he swims beneath.
So no need to fear
When he swims too near.
–V.M.Sang

“¡Tiburón!” empiezan a gritar
Pasa por cerca aleta triangular
Los nadadores quieren escapar
Saliendo y huyendo del mar.
Pero no hay causa de miedo
Solo es un tiburón peregrino
Con su mandíbula abierta
Captando plancton nada más, cierta.
Porque no tiene para masticar
Cuando nada debajo del mar
No hay que tener miedo
Cuando pase en tu giro.
–VW. (traducción por Rebecca )

~~~

The Blue Lobster
In the depths of the sea, a sight so rare,
A blue lobster swims with a regal air,
Its hue so striking, a wonder to behold,
A creature of beauty, a sight to unfold.
Blue lobsters are unique, a genetic surprise,
Their blue coloration, a trait that defies,
With claws so strong, they roam wild and free,
A true marvel of nature, a gift from the sea.
– Ann Sharon

La langosta azul
En el mar profundo, algo inesperado
Una langosta azul nada majestuosa
Su color es bonito, una maravilla
Una criatura bonita, una vista llamativa.
Langostas azules son únicos, una sorpresa genética,
Su coloración azul, es rara como característica,
Sus pinzas tan fuertes, son libres y silvestres,
Regalo del mar de la naturaleza sorprendentes.
– Ann Sharon (traducción por Rebecca )

~~~

USA

Haiku
Pools among the rocks
Trap creatures as the tide ebbs: 
Limpets, mussels, crabs.
–Sarah Gibbard Cook
https://www.sarahgibbardcook.com/

Charcos en piedras 
Lapa, choro, cangrejo 
Allí atrapados
–Sarah Gibbard Cook (traducción por Rebecca ) 

                              ~~~

(Bryde’s whale discoveries. Apologies to Lewis Carroll. )
How doth the little baleen whale
Display his shining tail
And pour the waters on the sea
On every human sail.
How cheerfully he overturns 
The oceanic laws
And welcomes little fishes in 
With strangely angled jaws.
– Suzanne's Mom
https://suzannesmomsblog.com/

Como la ballenita barbada 
enseña su brillante cola
salpica las aguas del mar
en las velas de barcos humanos 
que contento para derribar
las leyes del oceano
da el bienvenido a los pececitos
en su mandíbula con ángulo raro.
– Suzanne's Mom (traducción por Rebecca )

~~~

Pakistan
The amazing Seahorse –
It looks like a tiny house with a tail
People think it’s an equine and not aquatic
But living in ocean, the seahorse has proved them wrong
A thoughtful, gentle, calm and patient creature
The only father to carry it’s offsprings till term
Can teach us humans a lot about dedication
If you’re in a fix ask a seahorse for advice
It has a lot of imagination,
would help you solve problems
As possessors of creative thinking,
they can get out of tricky situations
A thoughtful listener,
you can share your woes with it
–Sadje
(caballito de mar)

~~~

England

Octopus
The small boy
coming home from school
dances ahead of his gran, delighted.
‘Es pulpo para la cena!’.
So – he loves octopus.
Let’s hope he cares enough
when older to leave them be –
to swim, spawn, hunt and make a meal
for eels and fish and albatross and whales.
– Margaret

Pulpo
El niño pequeño
al regreso de la escuela
baila, contento, cerca de su abuelita
“It’s octopus for dinner!”
Así le encanta el pulpo
Ojalá que le importe lo suficiente cuando sea grande para dejarlos vivir
a nadar, frezar, cazar y ser la cena
de congrios, peces, albatros y ballenas.

– Margaret (traducción por Rebecca )

Witty beluga swims unbound
Happily eats the fish they found
Intelligence only compounds
Talks often mimic human sounds
Expressive thoughts seem so profound
Weighs way over a thousand pounds
Humor can cause most to feel clowned
Amicable, socially crowned
Limber neck can twist all around
Endless intelligence astounds
– Grace Y. Estevez–Reddy

Beluga lista nada sin límite
come un pez felizmente
La inteligencia se permite
Su habla sonidos humanos habilite
Su pensamiento profundo y elegante
Mas de mil libras delimite
Humor de payaso transmite
Amable, social, sin ser elite
Su cuello giros facilite
Su poder intelectual deleite
– Grace Y. Estevez – Reddy (traducción por Rebecca )

In the deep blue ocean where few dare to go, 
Lives a creature that you must know, 
Sharpear Enope Squid is its name,
And it's sure to leave you quite amazed.

With arms as long as the squid's own height, 
And eyes that glow in the dark of the night, 
This master of the deep is truly unique,
A fascinating wonder that's hard to critique.

Its color-changing skin is a sight to behold, 
Shifting shades like a rainbow of gold,
A mesmerizing display that few have seen, 
But for ocean explorers, it's a dream.

So next time you journey to the ocean's abyss, 
Keep an eye out for this wondrous sea miss, 
The Sharpear Enope Squid, a marvel to find, 
A true masterpiece of nature's design.
–Pankaj Kumar
https://theinkwelljourney.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-sharpear-enope-squid.html?m=1
(Poema de calamar)

Pardon me,
but where’s my hot tea?
Black, white, green–
I am blue blood, see?
Balloon eyes
and head-feet physique,
I advise– octopodes–not octopi!
–C

Perdóname,
pero ¿dónde está mi té caliente?
Negro, blanco, verde–
Tengo la sangre azul, ¿ves?
Ojos de globos
Mi físico; cabeza con patas
Te consejo
Somos pulpos, ¡no octopi!
-C (traducción por Rebecca )

~~~

Canada

Water is your tide
the past ebbing out to sea 
fathoms ‘neath your feet.
Your words swift ocean currents 
their meaning teaming with life.
–Suzette
https://suzetteb.home.blog/2023/04/09/your-tide-a-poem-in-free-verse/

Agua es tu marea
el pasado en bajamar
sondea bajo tus pies.
Tus palabras corrientes rápidos 
su sentido proliferando con vida.
–Suzette (traducción por Rebecca )

~~~

Tossed and alone, an abandoned babe
found in the waves near L.A.
Nurtured and fed by a dedicated team,
giving her a chance to survive in the wild.
Fourteen months later, weighing 19,000 pounds,
JJ the orphaned gray whale was able
to return to the waves.
To her home.
– Michele Lee

Sola, arrojada, una bebe abandonada
descubierta en las olas cerca de LA
Cuidada y dada de comer por un equipo dedicado
Le darían la oportunidad de sobrevivir silvestre Catorce meses más tarde, pesando 19.000 libras (8618 kilos)
JJ, la ballena huérfana podía
volver a las olas del océano
volver a su hogar.
– Michele Lee (traducción por Rebecca )

~~~

We filled an ocean with sea animals! Well done. Hope to see you for the next poetry challenge in May. Can you name all 12 poetic ocean creatures?

¡Llenamos todo un océano con animales de mar! Bien hecho. Espero veros para el reto poético de mayo. ¿Puedes nombrar las 12 criaturas poéticas de océano?

¡Olé! –Rebecca