Reflections of a certain Fish, Preserved by name
Preserved I am
in a state of grace
from untimely death
on a whaling ship.
Preserved to become
a trader in whale oil
and a trans-Atlantic
shipping magnate.
Preserved to partner
with the aptly named Grinnell,
also known as the bowfin, which stalks
its prey in the shallows at night.
Preserved to be remembered
as obstinate, generous, and eccentric;
Huguenot, Quaker, and Episcopalian;
yet pardoned above all.
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This poem was inspired by the portrait of Preserved Fish, a Quaker shipping merchant, on display at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preserved_Fish