And thought I'd switch gears and read some of the animals
An Aquarium.
It's organized as a kind of bestiary,
and it goes through the alphabet.
Yeah, there's 55 poems, plus an extra one called "Time."
And let's start with "Abalone."
"Abalone, Rumsen aulón.
Aristotle auriform Costanoans cultivated, Brueghel painted,
awabi Osahi dove for on September 12th, 425 A.D.
to please Emperor Ingyō but was pulled up dead with one
clutched in his hand.
Iridescent pearl, nebular swirl, meat
all muscle tastes like rubber.
Its gonads a delicacy.
Now universities are funded to study its armor.
All earthly roads lead to war.
But remember, haliotis are hemophiliacs,
once cut, they bleed to death.
Watch your heart."