Oceans redefine, their count a fluid question. Gulls, whales navigate blurring borders, feeling deep unease.
How many oceans is a question
in schools.
Four, five, or one, depending
on your vintage and philosophy.
We know Canadian gulls deported
in the spray of Niagara, held in U.S. custody
Of Hong Kong dogs that crossed the line,
and vanished in mainland eateries
Said a whale to its calf, don’t go too far
Watch where you jump
I’m a little concerned, the southern ocean
is now called the Southern Ocean
Mani Rao is the author of three books in translation including Bhagavad Gita: God’s Song (HarperCollins), Saundarya Lahari: Wave of Beauty (HarperCollins), and Kalidasa for the 21 st Century Reader (Aleph Books); eleven books and chapbooks of poetry including Sing to Me (Recent Works Press) and Echolocation (Math Paper Press), and a book based on research into mantra experience— Living Mantra: Mantra, Deities and Visionary Experience (Cham Springer). She was a visiting fellow at the Iowa International Writing Program, and held writing residencies at Omi Ledig House, New York, and IPSI Canberra. She worked in advertising and television in Mumbai and Hong Kong for two decades, and then returned to studies for an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in Religious Studies. She lives in Bangalore. https://linktr.ee/maniraopoem
