MIGRATING HUMPBACK AS SHE MAKES ONE LAST LEAP TO THE SUN paintography by miguel SHE MAKES ONE LAST LEAP FOR BREATH AS THE HARPOON DUG DEEPER IN HER SIDE PIERCING HER LUNG AND SHE FRANTICALLY LOOKED AROUND FOR HER CALF AND CAUGHT HER EYE AND THE MADE THE DEEP SOUND OF AGONY AND DANGER, SHE WAS TELLING THE CALF TO FOLLOW THE POD, AS SHE SLOWLY DROWNED, TAKEN BY THE EXPLOSIVE HARPOON, ANOTHER ONE DOWN. SHE DOVE UNDER TRYING TO SHAKE THE PAIN FROM HER FLANK, BUT IT WAS EMBEDDED AND SHE BEGAN TO LOSE HER GRIP ON LIFE. SHE REMEMBERED HER MOTHER AND THE STORIES OF THE WHALERS WHO WERE HEARTLESS AND HAD NO SORROW OF THE DEATH OF A MATRIARCH AS MAGNIFICENT AS SHE. THERE WAS A LARGE LAYER OF BLUBBER FOR THE TRIP TO MEXICO AND THE ABUNDANT KRILL THAT THEY ENJOYED IN THE INLET OF MENDOCINO AND NORTH. THEY WERE A HAPPY POD AND SANG TO EACH OTHER AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY TO THE BAJA. THEY HAS PLENTY OF BOUNTY TO ENJOY ON THE WAY DOWN AND THEY MISSED THE WHALER BY A FEW MINUTES. THERE WERE MOMENTS THAT SHE RECALLED AS SHE DROWNED IN HER OWN BLOOD, SHE THOUGHT OF HER LOVELY CALVES AND HER NEW BABY, THAT WOULD NOW BE RAISED BY ANOTHER COW. THE WHALERS DID NOT KNOW THAT THE MOURNED THEIR DEAD AND IT WASN'T OFTEN THAT THEY HAD TO. IT WAS A FREE WORLD AS THEY SWAM AND DANGER WAS NOT REMEMBERED. THE DEADLY WHALERS WERE SCARCE AND THE LAWS WERE SAVING THIS MAGNIFICENT AND ANCIENT BREED. THE HUMPBACK SANG A LOVELY SONG AND COULD EVEN COMMUNICATE WITH THE KIND HUMANS WHO LOVED THEM. AND THEY KNEW WHO THEY WERE AND WHO ONLY CARED FOR THE AMBERGRIS AND THE OIL OF THEIR FLESH. THEY KNEW THAT THE INTUIT TRIBE RELIED ON THEM BUT ONLY TOOK THE OLD AND FEEBLE AND THEY SACRIFICED THEMSELVES TO THE TRIBE TO SAVE THEM FROM STARVATION AND THEY KNEW WHO IT WAS TO BE BEFORE THEY SWAM TO THE SOUTH AND WARM WATERS AND FAT TUNA. NO MORE SIFTING FOR KRILL AND HUGE SCHOOLS OF SMALL FISH. THE POD HEADED FOR OLD MEXICO AS THEY DID EVERY YEAR AND WERE SAFE UNTIL TODAY. THE MATRIARCH WAS QUICKLY FADING AND THE LARGER MALES TRY TO KEEP HER AFLOAT BUT KNEW OF THE STORIES OF THE HARPOON AND IT'S PAINFUL END BUT THEY HELD HER HIGH AS SHE WAS HOLY. SHE HAD LED FROM THE WAVES OF HUMBOLDT TO THE SEA OF CORTEZ EVERY YEAR WITH NO DANGER UNTIL NOW AS THE HARPOON DUG DEEPER AND FILLED HER WITH DREAD AND PAIN, SHE COULD ONLY THINK OF HER CALVES AND HER NEW ONE WHO SHE HAD NAMED AFTER THE LUMINOUS GREEN PLANKTON THAT COVERED SISTER DOLPHINS AND SHONE IN THE MOON. SHE WAS A LOVELY YOUNG LADY AND SHE SWAM AROUND HER MOTHER, THE MOTHER OF MANY UNTIL THE OTHER HUMPBACKS TOOK HER DEEP TO SAFETY AND AWAY FROM THE DEADLY BARBS OF THE SPEARS OF DEATH. ALL FOR THE OIL FOR LAMPS, THE LIPSTICK AND PERFUME TO MAKE THE HUMANS FEEL PRETTIER, SHE COULD ONLY THINK OF THE STORIES SHE KNEW AS, STILL LIVING THEY DRUG HER UP THE SLIDE TO THE KILLING FLOOR WHERE SHE WOULD BE SKINNED, DEAD OR NOT AND DISMEMBERED BY THE WHALERS WITH NO HEARTS AND THE BLOOD, HER LIFEBLOOD DRAINED ONTO THE DECK AND SHE SAW THE SUN ONE MORE TIME BEFORE THE LIFE LEFT HER AND HER LAST THOUGHT WAS OF THE LITTLE ONE AND HOW SHE WOULD FARE. SHE KNEW THEY WERE DEEP AND QUIET AND HER SOUL DOVE DEEP WITH THE POD AND SHE GAVE WAY TO THE KNIFE AND THE HARVESTING OF MAJESTY. SHE MADE A LAST NOISE, PERHAPS IT WAS AN SILENT SCREAM, TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO LIGHT THE LAMPS, SMEAR THE FACE WITH PAINT AND DAB THE SMELL BEHIND THE EAR, BUT THE WHALERS HEARD NOTHING AS THEY WENT ABOUT THE BLOODY BUSINESS THAT NEVER TOUCHED THEIR HEARTS. THE POD MOURNED AND SANG FOR HER SOUL FOR A GREAT DISTANCE AND WERE TO SAD TO TAKE SUBSTANCE AND THERE WAS NO FROLICKING AND NO AMOUNT OF RUBBING THE BARNACLES FROM ONE ANOTHER, THERE WAS SILENCE AND THE ONLY MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTH, THE SEA OF CORTEZ WHERE THE MEXICANS LOVE TO WATCH THEM AND NEVER FISHED FOR THEM, THEY SWAM WITH THEM AND WORSHIPED THEM AND IT WAS ALWAYS GOOD LUCK TO SEE ONE JUMP SO HIGH TOWARDS THE SUN AS THE MATRIARCH HAD DONE, ONE LAST JUMP TO THE SUN......this written by miguel for the memory of the humpbacks that have felt the sting of the sword. QUOTE BY ANDRE' GIDE (MAY 18, 1930) FISH DIE BELLY UPWARD AND RISE TO THE SURFACE; IT IS THEIR WAY OF FALLING.