writing a poem about sharks

is difficult
especially writing about shark attacks
without getting bloody and disgusting
without mentioning the word infested
or putting people off going into the water
or turning them off their fish suppers
and I don’t want to get lost in numbers either
not everyone thinks sharks are cute
they’re not furry or funny
they don’t work as emotional support animals
I’m not sure how loyal they would be
or how good at learning tricks
I don’t know if you’d be able to get them to wear
a onesie and pose for the family Christmas photo
I do know that more people are attacked by dogs
every year than sharks
and that if I said 100 million puppies are slaughtered
each year that would probably shock you
and you’d think it was bloody disgusting