Indus River Dolphin

With blind hope, they scurried around,

Through the rushing rough waters, they frowned,

The galloping stream gave no good,

As it led to the misunderstood,

With leaps they frayed, caught in dismay,

Shrieked by the sharp whistling tune they were raised,

Tangled between its prey, and out of the turmoil,

But not in a good place they stayed,

The heat dries off its skin, it breathes its last cries,

Delicately reaches for the edge,

To grasp one more taste of life,

As the waves crash onto the boat, water droplets say goodnight.

Indus River Dolphin by Sarah Shahzad, August 2023

About the Poem “Indus River Dolphin”

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The poem “Indus River Dolphin” vividly captures the struggles and challenges faced by the Indus River Dolphin, an endangered aquatic species native to the Indus River in South Asia. The poem portrays the dolphin’s journey through its habitat and its eventual fate.

The opening lines, “With blind hope, they scurried around, / Through the rushing rough waters, they frowned,” suggest the dolphin’s perseverance and resilience in a challenging environment characterized by turbulent waters. The use of the word “blind” could refer to the dolphin’s actual physical blindness due to adaptations for underwater life.

“The galloping stream gave no good, / As it led to the misunderstood,” conveys the idea that despite the dolphin’s efforts, the strong current of the river doesn’t offer favorable conditions. The word “misunderstood” could reflect the difficulties humans might have in understanding and empathizing with the dolphin’s struggles.

“With leaps they frayed, caught in dismay, / Shrieked by the sharp whistling tune they were raised,” describes the dolphin’s attempts to navigate its habitat. The dolphin’s distress is highlighted by its vocalizations (“shrieked”) and its entanglement with its surroundings.

“Tangled between its prey, and out of the turmoil, / But not in a good place they stayed,” portrays the dolphin’s predicament as it becomes ensnared between its natural instincts (prey) and the dangers of its environment. Despite escaping one challenge, it remains in a precarious situation.

“The heat dries off its skin, it breathes its last cries, / Delicately reaches for the edge, / To grasp one more taste of life,” presents a heartrending depiction of the dolphin’s decline. The heat and dryness could symbolize the deteriorating habitat, while the dolphin’s desperation to cling to life is emphasized by its feeble attempt to reach the water’s edge.

“As the waves crash onto the boat, water droplets say goodnight” brings the poem to a poignant conclusion. This imagery represents the dolphin’s final moments, juxtaposing the natural world’s rhythm with the human presence. The “water droplets say goodnight” conveys a sense of finality and farewell.

Overall, the poem “Indus River Dolphin” skillfully captures the struggles, vulnerability, and plight of the Indus River Dolphin, using vivid language to evoke empathy for the challenges faced by this endangered species in its increasingly threatened habitat.