give me
a day
a semester
a scuba suit
a deep dive
an encounter with those aliens we call
octopus
[octopuses/octopi/octopodes
all are correct pluralisations
of this creature i’m mildly
absolutely
obsessed with]

i just want to see them
meet them
study them
understand them
observe them
have them
know
me

it’s a draw far stronger than anything in my life
has ever been
outside of an artistic endeavor

[but, hey, take a look at these magnificent beings
and tell me they aren’t, themselves,
art]