Scrimshaw

Alfie Watt

on precipice, on waiting half-adrift 
on crossroads, on turning point 
the blue flame of the evening sea-like

memories of whale-fall; congregation of crabs
and worms, and all kinds of creatures watch 
that magnificent carcass sink with silent rapture 

like an archivist I too dig through words,
old messages, on the hunt for something 
worth carving into the ribs of the endangered 

deep in trenches I hear them hum to me 
unpronounceable sayings translated through 
time; hunger, ache, expectation 

my sarcophagus self echoes back the sentiment
that searching for meaning can be just as brutal 
as two hundred sets of teeth scraping marrow off bone

The Science

This poem is inspired by whale falls, the ecosystems of deep-sea zones and the art of scrimshaw, where whale bones are decorated with illustrations. I wanted to explore this artform as a language in its own, and how the creature the bone once belonged to might maintain an echo of its voice through that art  in a universal language that we can all understand. I also wanted to use this image to explore the search for meaning in things we say to each other, and the value we place on our words and messages to one another.

The Poet

Alfie Watt (she/they) is from London has been writing poetry for ten years. She works as a medical writer and loves exploring the intersection of medical language and poetry. Alfie's work can be found in Gut Feeling: An Anthology.

Next poem: Sky Wizards by Jessica Lee McMillan