Incomplete Experiment


The octopus blanched precipitous white just before
he was dropped into the nitrogen container.
They had drawn straws, while the octopus vigilant
behind scratched plastic coral in his enrichment tank
beat pigment from busy chromophores across his warty hide
then in greedy observation performed a favourite trick
squeezing shockingly through an almost pinhole
his mantle a blushed-rust shade reserved for food.
As he died the octopus expelled purply-black ink
while a limb suckered onto the rim of the container
a shrill frozen death grip around someones' finger
absolution overwhelming they buried the octopus at sea.
A few days later he drifted back to shore a faded phantom
embraced by empty bleached mollusk shells that freckled the beach
a freak among the dried up litter of more common marine life.