Misdirected Mating Poem by Raj Arumugam

1
Marion Island,2011 and 2008

The fur seal courts the king penguin
runs after it,
as if the penguin were a desirable female seal
and then fails
(it's just not possible physically;
and hey, the girl says NO!)
and then tears the bird to bits
and eats it

(if you can't screw it
you eat it)

maybe that fur seal is a loser
chased out by other dominant seals
all female seals taken for the season
and so tries in desperation
to gain entry into a penguin

2
like other losers
many life-forms do it, it seems
insects, spiders, worms, frogs
birds and fish - they just do it…
chaotic with testosterone,
exiled from female receptacles
where you pour in sperm