Josie Merck and Wendy Wilder Larsen

Inspired by a trip they took with NRDC to the Baja whale nursery, artist Josie Merck and poet Wendy Wilder Larsen are collaborating on a book of paintings and poetry titled The Gray Whales of Baja, which will be published later this year.

BOATMEN

Mother and Calf, Josie Merck 2007; oil, 35" x35"

"Max, Roman, Jonas, Toto,"
panga drivers call to each other.

"We have friendly whales.
Mother and calf.
Two pairs.
Breaching at 3 o'clock.
8 times."

Whales signal each other.

We have 6 boats.
Creatures in orange jackets.
They carry instruments
with extra eyes.
They hurry from one side
of their boats to the other
wanting so much to touch us.

Silence in our boat.
Waiting.    Watching.

Now we see the footprint,
a slick white oval on the surface,
once thought to be oil,
but now known as a flick of the tail.

Look. The mother is up
pushing her calf toward our boat.
"She likes splashing," Max says,
so I splash, call her "Splash,"
and the calf comes closer.

Tears roll down my face back into the sea.
Numbed into wonder, surprised into joy,
I have no fear.

"Devils." Indeed. Then whoosh. Enough.
A noise from the mother and they are off.

As we putt back to our tents,
the boatmen call out, "Pachico,"
"Pachico, old Pachico,"

the nickname of Francisco Mayoral,
the chosen one,
the one the gray whale first came to
when he was fishing on the lagoon.

--Wendy Wilder Larsen

Poetry © Wendy Wilder Larsen; Painting © Josie Merck

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