Exceptional A beautiful creature at risk due to man's failings All the seas's horses by Janelle

in a morning ritual of colour and dance    with tails linked   bodies twirling their pas de deux performed amidst swirling sea-grass meadows instinctive life-long vows are reiterated in a full-moon love song these equine chameleons then join the grazing herd tails curled inwards zebra stripes gliding snouts constantly seeking out sustenance in warm temperate waters a unique species of child-bearing fathers nurturing their progeny in ignorance of a perilous reality harvested for the purpose of capturing mysticism in powder form an erotic dance of love and loyalty duly sacrificed then sold in paper parcels  to alleviate man's rage at his self inflicted impotence   Recognized Author Notes Free verse, lack of punctuation is intentional The sea horse is such a mystical animal. A unique creature in the animal kingdom, they have the head of a horse, the pouch of a kangaroo and the tail of a monkey,are devoid of teeth and a stomach and can only curl their tails forward. Plus, they are the only species whose males actually give birth. They are monogamous and mate for life, couples meeting every morning to link tails and dance in the sea-grass meadows, changing colour as they do so. They only mate on the full moon, making musical sounds when they do. They graze in herds on plankton and other minute crustaceans. They are voracious eaters because of the energy required to keep their bodies upright with their tiny pectoral fins furiously beating like wings. Due to their harvesting for the Asian medicinal market, primarily for the relief of impotence and incontinence, they are in danger of becoming extinct. (25 million of them are harvested every year!) I think they're amazing, elegant, magical creatures.

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