Afinidades

The November #dump could have been many things.

The highlight of the month could have been the golden moment when my 90-year-old grandma put on her lipstick after eating cake last week. It could have been waking up early in the morning to the sound of seagulls in Seattle, which made me feel as if I were starting just an ordinary day in Istanbul. It could have been meeting Mr. Peter Sellers, a bookshop owner and writer, who told me he needs to write every morning to make sure “the writing” does not go somewhere else. It could have been all of these things.

But to be honest, the best thing about November 2022 was meeting Orbit, the Giant Pacific Octopus at the Seattle Aquarium.

Eager to see the flowers of the earth in the marketplace and the flowers of the sea in the aquarium, I spent the day in a state of awe and silence, enjoying the colors, movements and scents in the city. After viewing the exhibitions about all sorts of plants and animals of the ocean, I went near the water tank that said OCTOPUS and searched for Orbit.

Immediately, I see hundreds of pinkish white suckers glued to the water tank glass. I come near and see a big crab in the middle of the suckers, which I learn from a volunteer, that it was Orbit’s food for the day. The octopus was not “swimming”, but actually squeezing the crab to get the tasty juice out of it. I still don’t know what was the thing that captured me about this scene, but I think about Orbit almost every single day.

Later on I kept thinking: What was it about that scene that made me feel almost ecstatic? Was is the thought of being swallowed that made my blood run? Was it just the joy of seeing something that is completely new to my eyes? I hear my little heart pounding and think: This giant, mythical creature has three hearts. I only have one, and at times don’t know what to do with it.

Octopuses are extremely intelligent beings, and have been subject to various myths, like the Kraken who suddenly swallows ships with their huge arms, a creature to be feared. I’ve come to learn they are feisty, playful and mostly benevolent beings who are curious about everything around them.

There are cases in which people meet octopuses at their water tanks, letting them reach one or more of their arms sucking their skin. At times, if the octopus likes the taste, they can pull the visitors into their water tank, inviting them to be their playmates or their prey (or both?), depending on the day.

Curiously enough, the next day of my visit to the Aquarium, I came across the Seattle Kraken marching band, a 32-member band who rocks the rink before the hockey game begins.

As the music started there was an immediate wave of joy in the room. Through the many trumpets, drums and saxophones, I felt the Kraken reach out to me. As the good crab that I am, I let the myth and melody crack my shell. In delight, I was drowned like a ship in the ocean. In devotion, I let the beast of music have the best of me.