Mistah Stubbs he dead

No whale oil streetlight-spermaceti
(funnelled pale through rancid copper pipes
from the South Pacific/Atlantic)
bubbles;
no cannibal stars

of Otaheite
and Elephant
(cooked in hogsheads retched
to top mizzens/gallants rolling
roiling ambergris
and baleens all dipping flame lugging)
to delight
late promenade-Europe

with such soft soap
such deep diving stars
such blow and effuse and heave
such massif of sea-light—
nevermore the Europa reel
in volcanic biology

and bilge and binge so incrimson aflame
with blow and dive and creak and squeak—

all pipes smoked out
.
.
.