Octopus Hug

Poetry by Teresa Troutman

I reach out to you…

Touch, touch, touch, touch,

Touch, touch, touch, touch,

And my body flows around you.

Touch and stick and touch and crawl

And ooze and touch and probe and suck,

My mind moves closer to your mind, coming closer now,

My eye sees through to your heart,

My arms hug and hug and hug and hug

And hug and hug and hug and hug!

What more do you want from me?

You came here into my world,

If I came to you, would you touch me and hug me and

Want to know me as something other than what I am?

Or would you just stare at me, lying there on the ground

All flaccid and pale, all shiny and sad

And drowning and dessicating—

Would you stuff me in a jar of formaldehyde?

Dissect me to see the stuff that isn’t me?

Or would you put me in a tank to show off for your friends

What a wonderful and wicked hell you’ve created to keep me

For as long as I’ll keep?

Or will you throw me back

To live and to hug and to hug and to hug and hug

And hug and hug and hug and hug another day?

What do you say?

How about a hug?  Or at least something to nourish me

A little while longer if you have no love to give…

I’ll unstick and let go, now.  I can tell by your eyes what’s in your heart and

You’re not ready to play, today.

But thanks for stopping by to visit!

No, really, I had a good time.

If any of my cephalopod gang asks, I’ll say you give good hug,

For what you are.

But maybe I expected too much from someone

With only two arms and no heart.

And you call me cold-blooded!

Cold as the sea.

Why haven’t you left yet?

Oh, I see.  I’m still stuck on you.

I guess even octopi have trouble letting go, sometimes.

Even when it’s in our own best interests.

I hear squid don’t have that same problem

But you know those squid, they’re all Id

And at least I have an ego,

Yes, I think that’s my problem, too.

Okay.  I can let go now.

You let go, too.

Okay, after just one more hug,

And hug and hug and hug and hug,

And hug and hug and hug and…

Pull away now.

And touch and touch and touch and touch

And touch and touch and touch and touch…

Swim away now.

And smile and smile.

And you’re gone.

Good-bye.

I miss you so much.