BELLS AND BELLES

Ctenophores with tentacle clappers
muted, pulse rhythmically
like silent bells in a marine carillon.
Combs of cilia in serried ranks,
Graceful foot soldiers waltzing
synchronously in elegant unison
scattering light and beauty
to create shimmering rainbows.
lives as transparent as their bodies,
bodies in limbo, neither liquid nor solid,
flinging sticky colloblasts at their targets,
to reel them in oh, so gently.

Four teens twirl around
in billowing gowns at their first ball.
Lustrous fabrics swish and rustle
as they glide across the floor.
With coiffed hair, pearly complexions,
sparkling eyes, and feminine wiles,
neither children nor adults,
they throw coy glances like
Cupid’s darts at dazzled hearts,
unaware of the power they wield,
while chaperones yearn for bygone days.

In heaving oceans and grand ballrooms,
imbued with hues of palest jade,
life conducts unique, gentle rituals
of exquisite renewal and survival.