For Valentine’s Day, my love designed and knitted me an Atlantic hagfish, A.K.A. slime eel — Myxine glutinosa. Apparently, she was the first on Ravelry to do so. While to the uninitiated this might seem like a less than subtle suggestion that I am a slime-ball and a bottom-feeder, in fact it was a highly romantic gesture, a response to my “Ten Simple Songs” (8-9, if you’re in a hurry). I was initially going to hold off posting that poem until Valentine’s Day, but then I thought, what if she doesn’t like it? Perhaps slime eel references don’t belong in a serious love poem. I guess I needn’t have worried.
Hagfish purposely tie themselves in knots to remove excess mucus. Thankfully, this plush, knitted hagfish is not mucilaginous in the slightest. (See additional photos on the project page at Ravelry.)
I don’t own many works of art, and none that please me quite so much as this. Folks, don’t ever let anyone tell you that poetry doesn’t pay! Also, heed the wise words of Robert Fulghum (often wrongfully attributed to Dr. Seuss):
We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.
Robert Fulghum, True Love
I think this is grandly, lovingly weird! And a wonderful objet d’art!
Only Rachel. Only you. Oh my.
Promise someday a shared DB/RR mantel, hung with hagfish Xmas stockings. The precipitating poem clearly deserved such an equally wonderful objet.
I love this!
Original and delightful! Very Rachel! Lucky Dave.
So wonderfully hagfishy!!! <3
What Beth said :-)
Wonderful!
Lovely!
“Actual love poem”
The poem rose, pink,
precise, intact,
meme’s light
membrane,
a prickly
headpiece
at first blush.
Palpable mizzle sifts
down, tho
the poem dies
defiled,
demeaned, unless
love is enough
for my stale brain.
— Bob BrueckL
Bob! Good to hear from you again. I love “Palpable mizzle sifts/down”.
Thanks for the kind comments, y’all. It’s good to get some independent confirmation that the knitted hagfish is indeed a wonderful thing — that I’m not completely blinkered by lurve.