the marine biologist is an expert fish assassin—
icthyocide is an artform
and he has learned from the masters.
none but the rarest, most elusive fish of the deep
can satiate his bloodlust.
he takes to the seas
with highly specialised devices
of his own design
and a government license to kill
for varied methods of slaughter:
instantaneous decompression,
spontaneous exsanguination,
unsuccessful terrestrialisation.
and with every corpse tossed into the freezer
his collection grows—
for science.
Dr Prema Arasu is a writer and academic at the University of Western Australia, where they work alongside a deep-sea science team. Prema’s poetry often reflects upon the daily lives and experiences of the scientists.