The main coast…
The grand humpback whale sinks, swims, surfaces,
humming its favorite tune.
The whale feeds on schools of fish,
waving as boats pass.

The boat…
The whale flaps its flipper, greeting friends.
“Friends” wave their spears,
waiting to feed as
a fight commences.

The brawl...
The whale thrashes its tail.
Humming not a tune, now, but a battle cry.
Ropes entwine him,
as his eyes reflect terror.

The dock…
A spear impales him, as poachers scream in victory.
The wood is stained a deep, ripe, red.
The whale rolls its kind, eyes back.
The end nears.

The grand staircase…
On a dock, meat sits, bones scattered.
Bones now an artifact for kids to quak at.
Bones represent the life and fight of a whale,
a grand whale fit for a grand staircase.