Marianne, the Octopus and History

By Jane Simon

Marianne, the Octopus and History
Conversation from 81st to 74 th St.

On our chilly walk down CPW last night
past the Museum of Natural History
now devoid of the bold bronze statue
of Theodore Roosevelt on horseback.

How sad that our country wants
to disown history, Marianne remarks.

Like the Chinese, I say, remembering
my travels in China; there entire
ancient cities were torn down and buried.

What does it mean that we’ve become
like the Chinese wanting to disown history? I query.

I guess we’ll wait and see,
Marianne says thoughtfully.

Then she relates how last night she watched
a TV show about octopuses and learned that females
of the species devour their partners after they mate.

How odd, I say. I never knew that.

Not all of them, Marianne consoles.
Just one variety.

Oh, that’s a relief, I answer.
But how does she kill him?

Like a pragmatist, she reports,
I guess she eats him.

like a pathologist searching
for the cause of death, I ask,
but how does she murder him?

I guess she strangles him, Marianne conjectures.
They have a lot of legs, you know.

Oh, I sigh and say, I guess that explains it.
Then I hum to myself, wondering if we
(on our walk) have explained anything at all.