songs of a psychic seahorse

(faithfully translated from modern seahorsian

a fluid subaquatic language best known for musical candor

& dynamic counterpoint)

© stephen roxborough 2024

for the kids & parents

of our great global 

dysfunctional family

foreword: 

all 46 exquisite varieties 

of the pipefish family known as 

seahorse 

            belong to the genus

            hippocampus

ancient greek for horse (hippos)

& sea monster (kampos)

the hippocampus is also a small

multi-layered region of the human brain 

in the shape of a seahorse

embedded deep in the folds 

of temporal lobe

                                    the hippocampus 

            plays a major role in learning

memory and the regulation

of behaviors needed for survival:

feeding fighting & sex 

hippocampus is also crucial

for long-term memory formation

& retrieval 

the psychic seahorse sings new songs 

of innocence & experience

depicting the practical & mystical overlap

of both

            how teacher becomes student

& the perpetual looping after-effects 

of quantum entanglement

when we become orphans

said the old seahorse to his fry

because our parents left the building

those two great libraries close down

the family tree splits into branches

that swim in different time zones

& often don’t loan to each other

who carries all the memories

of our primal personal history?

who cares about the great uncle

that became a conscientious objector?

who knows about the witty cousin

noel coward wrote songs for?

who remembers the relative

that struck a lode of alaskan gold?

who knew the internal psyche

of the world’s greatest oddsmaker?

who chooses what memory remains

& what gets rejected forever

as we all fade & eventually

evaporate into the next

in the beginning there was milk

wet warm & sweet fresh from 

the source of human kindness 

& the milk was good

until juice & fruit from trees 

of the tropics introduced 

a sweeter exotic temptation

yet when the grain of cane arrived 

the brain went insane to the store 

for the many flavors of more

then every day in the loudest way 

the kids screamed for ice cream 

& year-round halloween

seems even old men drinking 

like teens can't wean themselves 

still in search of human kindness

still boiling the brain to coddle 

still sucking on something sweet 

& fluid from a bottle

yet in the beginning it was fresh 

from the source of human kindness 

warm from the source of likeness

my generation started strong

scorned materialism 

marched for civil rights 

protested war 

rallied for female equality

but in the end we turned out to be 

another disappointment

war became a superbug 

fast-talkers spread like oil slicks 

news fused to propaganda 

the giant anaconda of big pharma 

swallowed us whole as corporate pirates 

& spineless politicians 

embezzled national treasure 

then we sold out to hostile reptiles

for dollars & tiny pleasures

we got stranded in slander 

scandal bankers & tangle 

they brought us inside to hide 

& divide us until we abandoned 

our better angels 

& collective casablancas

now i feel great communal shame 

a deep disgrace & dishonor 

for not fighting stronger 

longer & harder

we didn't even pick up 

after ourselves 

the first time my son planted

a deep gash in his unblemished knee 

& vivid burgundy gushed 

down his leg 

                        he ran to me in tears 

because he thought he’d lose 

all his blood & die

when i said let’s go to hospital 

            to get a few stitches 

he ran away so fast 

it took me three minutes 

to catch & carry him to my car

i strapped him in his car seat 

all the while he cried

            i’m still bleeding!

            i don’t want to die!

later that night 

long after the kids went to bed 

& the trauma of the drama

            stitched & calm 

i reflected upon 

how i died a little that day

but it was a good death

over a glass of red wine i realized 

we shared the same blood 

& his pain became mine 

kids think grown-ups have all the fun

they drive the cool cars & deluxe trucks 

& always decide where to go

they eat all the ice cream they crave 

& they’re allowed to be cranky & angry 

snobby & snooty & stubborn & lazy

they don’t do stupid chores 

            or hours of boring homework 

they don’t have to share the TV 

the new computer or prize controller 

& they’re never forced to eat liver 

to be rewarded with sugar

they can demand peace & quiet 

& get money from machines

they stay up as late as they want

go to parties whenever they like

& don’t need permission to see friends 

play outside or eat the last cookie

they save all the best movies & games 

& toys & drinks & drugs & fun 

for themselves

best of all they don’t have parents 

bossing them around anymore

            to the kids it all looks easy 

dream peach privileged 

as if parenthood 

is the ultimate superpower 

adults think kids have all the fun

they get to race big wheels & spin 

on a dime & laugh & crash & never worry 

about collision insurance

they get all their food & clothes 

& toys & soothing made & paid for

they’re allowed to be cranky & angry 

& snobby & snooty & stubborn & lazy 

while parents try to inspire their best 

with the least amount of stress

they get spoiled & pampered & coddled 

& every few years their private room 

gets remodeled

kids get sheltered from the storms 

& thorns of tides & divides of relationships 

            they’re guarded from the weight 

& grind & fear of deadline walking

they don’t know the building pressures 

triggered by bills & pills & grown-up ills

years ago we’d be beaten at home 

& even school yet today it sounds absurd

for a kid to be seen & not heard