Thursday, February 15, 2007

Ceratioid Anglerfish

Miles under the ocean live the Angler Fish.

Inflated to the size of a balloon, the female gropes across the dark of the sea floor. Desperate daily to feed herself and her eggs - she lives her whole life searching, groping, grabbing; desperate her whole life amid that empty, perpetual night.

A tenth the size, barely the size of your little finger, the male is born dumb, blind, weak and indifferent. But, he is blessed with one wish.

To find a female. Then, he bites into her flesh - and his mouth dissolves into her veins. And when he is fully fused, feeding automatically from her blood, he atrophies all of his parts.

Except, one.

And so: embedded in her, tighter than a thin ring around a fat finger, he spends his life doing nothing. Nothing, but ejaculate.

He needs no pornography, nor innuendo of invititation, nor carress. No seductive subtle undress. That moment when you shut your eyes, and oh - that is his life, all of the time. So very happy, there in the freezing black. He does not even care when her body, attached to his, is being eaten alive by other fish.

Admist those abyssal depths of dark, he is nothing but a creature of perfect, pure pleasure. So much so, he does not even know the word hedonist.

17 Comments:

Blogger Tom Chivers said...

I was flattered and surprised to find I still had readers after my last post - I am, I know, terrible - and with the responsibility for a bit of:

* house keeping *

First off, thanks to someone magic for helping edit my last post - Mile End.

Secondly, you'll note my real name now appears on the blog. I explain that here. Particularly important to me regarding this change is that I'm not confused with the other 'Tom Chivers' - the one who currently appears first on searches, and is a London-based poet.

Or do I still have readers?

2:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

awwrh! "someone magic" that earns an undisclosed number of points.

"Then, he bites into her flesh - and his mouth dissolves into her veins"

eekers. lovely.

"that moment when you shut your eyes and oh" lovelier

scintillating work.

i'm adding "scintillating" to my list of favorite words. right below the latest addition:

frugabore

you still have readers.

9:30 PM  
Blogger {illyria} said...

i was hung up on this book when i young: "the wonderful habits of animals." it wasn't illustrated but it was wonderfully worded. i was enthralled from the moment i picked it up. termited ruined in years later.

10:10 AM  
Blogger Tom Chivers said...

What does frugabore mean, I wonder?!

{i}, sounds like a great read that met an appropriate, unfortunate end.

11:58 AM  
Blogger mistipurple said...

".. He needs no...invititation.."
is it wrong of me to remember that?
*wonders where's the tit?*

11:41 AM  
Blogger Tom Chivers said...

He needs no invitation sounds like a pop lyric, doesn't it!?

12:27 PM  
Blogger mistipurple said...

"ding-dong"
*brings you a piece of chocolate cake*

2:22 PM  
Blogger Tom Chivers said...

Got any cheese cake?

6:01 PM  
Blogger mad said...

You don't see this on the Discovery Channel!

4:56 PM  
Blogger Tom Chivers said...

lol.

You do see it on the BBC series 'Blue Planet' however. And you can read about it on wikipedia :)

4:58 PM  
Blogger EATING POETRY said...

Dark picture you paint, yet it is very intriguing! Great metaphor, very open to interpretation!

8:09 AM  
Blogger The Dog of Freetown said...

Hedonist.
I know that word.
Thank god.

1:13 PM  
Blogger I.:.S.:. said...

i have known of these but i never thought of these creatures in this way before...

what a bizarre creation. god is indeed great.

9:39 PM  
Blogger boudica of suburbia said...

You're a bit special.

11:58 PM  
Blogger mistipurple said...

brought you your mango massage.

5:42 AM  
Blogger EATING POETRY said...

hahaha, I love this pieces you posted. It's a metaphor in so many great ways. I think it's my first time at your blog. Really enjoyed. Love the scientific yet relatable angel.

7:15 PM  
Blogger EATING POETRY said...

actually, I see it's not my first time at all... I commented a while back on this exact piece :)

7:16 PM  

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