Luke Kennard

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NEW INSIGHT INTO HOW ENDANGERED SPECIES ARE MAKING DRASTIC CHANGES TO THEIR LIFESTYLES

The grey whale is a conscious breather and must remember to breathe. At rest it will hang vertically in the water like an ancient satellite, like anhedonia. Three light brown seals circle it, good spirits holding crosiers and tiny model churches. The grey whale is so tired. Don’t forget to breathe, grey whale. What else? A grey whale recently travelled 18,000 miles. Conjoined grey whale calves drown. Baby grey whale mutilated by sharks. Okay. Yeah, I’ll take a refill. Look at the way the sun hits the surface of the water. Look at the two oil cloths tied to the deck-rail dance in the breeze. It’s so stupidly beautiful. Some people fantasise about being on a yacht. Like, a lot of people. Can you believe that? I was raised to think I wasn’t any better than anyone else, but dear God.

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LUKE KENNARD is a poet and novelist whose last collection, Cain, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, 2017. He lectures at the University of Birmingham.