BEACHED SEAL PUP, MOUSEHOLE, 15TH JANUARY 2020...

Beached Seal Pup…

It lay restrained, resigned,

As if straitjacketed

And left isolated, confined

In solitary;

Pallid, insipid,

Helplessly beached

Beyond tide’s reach 

And amongst cruel rocks,

It rubbed flipper upon flipper,

Gazing with black eyes,

Painfully, sadly

In solitary…

It lay defined, constrained,

As if mummified

And wrapped, contained

For eternity;

Pale, vapid,

Hopelessly beached

Beyond life’s reach

And amongst mean rocks,

It rolled, blubber on blubber,

Agitated, with coal eyes,

Doleful, rueful

For eternity…

Pete Ray

January 2020

The seal pup was stranded amongst the rocks on Mousehole’s beach, Wednesday 15th January 2020.

It growled at me.

It looked mummified or perhaps restrained like a patient in a mental hospital at first but it moved, rubbed flipper on flipper and rolled about a little, as it lounged. 

Its eyes were warnings…

Phone calls were made to authorities and I was assured that the pup would be rehabilitated then released back into the sea in another place…