Of the Beast

First published in Stilts Journal, Issue Six, 2019

I sit in the belly

of a whale, play

house in its mouth

Run my fingers along

baleen plates, brush

through bristled rows

with a sledgehammer

I pretend it’s a beard

or drywall. I imagine

you had a beard, make 

believe you knew how

to put up plasterboard

I picture Jonah having a hard

time with renovations, try

my hand at repainting pink 

walls blue, entertain idea

this was your favourite 

colour, build two armchairs 

out of coral, live off krill 

for seven weeks, get skinnier

than Ishmael on his coffin, carve

cushions from blubber floor, dry

hands on seaweed tea towel

do not bother with plumbing

I’ve heard whales flush 

out most dead weight here

with just a swallow.