Manatee/Humanity [excerpt] Poem by Anne Waldman

in the ritual they said cast your lot in here
in the ritual you were meant to be protector
you were meant to be a progenitor
you were meant to rise from waves
mother… mother… om manatee hum
& passng before her captivity
reiterating a chant of manatee
I began
the manatee is found in shallow slow-moving rivers
the manatee moves in estuaries moves in saltwater bays
the manatee in moving moves gently
the manatee is to be found in canals & coastal areas
the manatee is a migratory animal
the manatee is gentle & slow-moving
the manatee moves in slow-moving rivers slowly
the manatee is completely herbivorous
the West Indian manatee has no natural enemies
the manatee has no natural enemies but unnatural man
the manatee is constantly threatened by man unnaturally
man with his boats & plastic & attitude
the manatee often drowns in canal locks of man
man who makes no concession to manatee
the manatee dies in flood control structures
man who makes no concession to manatee
nor cares of manatee life manatee fortune
the manatee dies in collision with watercraft
man who does not protect the manatee
what steward of the earth is this unnatural man
man who makes no concession to manatee
the manatee dies with the ingestion of fishhooks
man who unnaturally makes no concession
the manatee dies from litter & monofilament lines
man who is rank in attitude has no use for manatee
the manatee dies entrapped in crab trap lines
the manatee dies from loss of habitat claimed by man
the manatee is maimed by man, the manatee could be aided by man
man o aid the manatee man come to the manatee heart
a manatee calf is born every 2-5 years
a manatee gestates for a year in the manatee womb
8,400 miles of tidal waters could be for the manatee
11,000 miles of rivers & streams could be for the manatee
10,000 miles of canals would they all be for the manatee
the manatee has more gray matter in the brain than man
the manatee is perhaps thinking archivally deeper than man
ancient days of manatee so many thousands of years
manatee mind, what is the mind of manatee
the manatee has no natural enemies
the manatee is completely herbivorous
the metabolism of the manatee is slow, moves slowly
the manatee moves in estuaries, moves in saltwater bays