Swimming With The Whales Poem by Kewal Paigankar

They came out in droves
Even in a small town such as this
To commemorate the MAN
Who swam with the whales.
Heads bowed, they stood in silence
As the Mayor, in full regalia
Read out the eulogy
Under the fierce Mediterranean sun.

The plaque was simple and spartan
The inscription read “To the Man
Who swam with the whales”
For that’s what the Man ever was.
No theatrics nor any fuss
The only thing he ever wanted
Was to ride the third wave
And not be late for his tryst
With his leviathan friends.

He lived on land
But his soul belonged to the sea.
Nothing much was known about him
He had an aura and mystery
That he guarded zealously.
Shuffling past the townspeople
He would greet them politely
Before hurrying home.
Earthly manners came awkwardly to him.
He simply yearned for the day
When the call would come from the sea
For his final rendezvous.







I almost drowned the other day
In trying to ride the third wave
Just as he did.
I would not have been mourned
Unlike the Man
Who swam with the whales
Weaved a tapestry of exotic tales
Until the sea claimed him
As one of its own.


How calm the sea is
So still and silent
Until the wailing in the night…….





-By Kewal Paigankar