Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Beluga.

I was at the zoo the other day (the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium--Zoolights are on 'til the 4th!) and I saw a Beluga (a white whale) and my first thought was "it looks like a penis."



And I was ashamed.

But then I thought about it. What I mean isn't just that it's an elongated shape, but it's a shape of strength and sinew, of sleekness and grace. There's a lovely symmetry to a beluga's muscular underside, a sense of great power gracefully shaped. They're beautiful animals, and the way they glide their three-thousand-pound bodies through the water with just a flick--and just for the sake of play!--is awe-inspiring.

"Looks like a penis" isn't always goofy or insulting or potty-humorous. A beluga looks like a penis because it is beautiful in the same ways that a penis is beautiful.

4 comments:

  1. I apologize in advance for going away from the seriousness of your post.

    There, now I feel better for saying thank you for giving me a reason (lame reason? maybe) for being able to say that I have something resembling a whale in my pants.

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  2. As a kid, my favorite zoo exhibit was the pair of belugas. (I didn't like the monkeys because "they smell.")

    From my beluga to your oyster, happy holidays.

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  3. I will never be able to sing the Baby Beluga song with a straight face again.

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  4. That's the first thing I thought when I saw this picture before reading the post :)

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