CONFINEMENT
CATHERINE WEISS
in captivity once
a beluga whale
learned
to mimic a human
voice
pitch and rhythm
they thought she
said “get out”
so the keeper
climbed out of the tank
whale was
done with
hearing only her
desperate
solitary thoughts
reflected from
a concrete wall belugas
are captured
because they are expressive
and
they die less often than
other whales in
confinement but water is
not enough
to keep being
alive she knew how
to grin big
look happy
no one
understanding she wanted
not to die
in this cage