WEBVTT

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This one takes
place off the coast

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of the Big Island of Hawaii.

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"Strong enough."

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Strong enough to climb
backward up the heaving ladder

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on the stern of the
six-pack dolphin charter.

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Strong enough to ignore the
stretch along the scar marking

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where the sentinel
node first gathered

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radioactive dye headed for the
cleanup crew of lymph nodes.

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Strong enough to wait till
Captain Tripp calls, OK,

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pool's open, before slipping
with just a tiny splash

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into the sea pocked with
dorsal fins, festooned

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with dolphins' spume.

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Strong enough to calm my
tunnel of air as sunlight

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radiates through saltwater.

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And out of the depths, first two
noses, then five, then dozens,

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a wave of sleek passing.

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Strong enough to turn
sideways and find face

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to my face, a wild eye, curious
at home in this element I'm

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visiting, floating
among clicks and chirps

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bouncing off
everything, even me,

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signals strong enough to
alert the whole suspended host

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to danger, strong enough to let
them know which way feels best,

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strong enough to keep close the
ones who need to be gathered

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near, strong enough to signal
who speaks our language,

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who knows this terrain,
who's bad news?

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Strong enough to
overcome the bite that

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left a white starburst
scar, strong enough

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to swim with the pod,
though this wound's

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visible from far
off, evidence there

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we're not always strong enough,
not always fast enough, not

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always able to get out of the
way of the teeth strong enough

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to tear off a part of
our perfectly good body,

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tear it off, swallow
it, and swim away,

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stronger now for the nourishment
our flesh offers while we

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bleed, wide open to millions of
organisms immediately at home

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in any open sore.

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Strong enough in numbers
to do away with us,

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though we swim hard away,
swim among those of our kind

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who might, for a
moment, protect us,

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swim toward the shining
globe of the bait ball

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shimmering, millions
of tiny lives,

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swimming as long as
we're strong enough.

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