by Ruth S. Baker

“Secrets of the humbling, many-hearted octopus”
—National Geographic

The many-hearted octopus
Is also blessed with many brains:
It generates domestic fuss
By sliding up the pipes of drains.

The octopus’s braininess
Is hard for us to comprehend;
We lack the skill to self-compress
Enough to climb a U-shaped bend.

But, granting that its mental span
Exceeds the cleverest of us,
Let’s humbly pity (all we can)
A broken-hearted octopus.