jimmy and the whale

what kind of whale is
that, you ask
your friend betty as
you walk the shoreline
along the atlantic ocean.
don't know, she says.
blue whale maybe?
white whale, sperm
whale? there are so
many. it looks lost,
or stuck or something
and is making
a high pitched squeaky
noise. she puts her
hands over her ears
but spills the cherry
juice out of her
sno-cone that she's carrying.
it trickles down
the front of her
white bathing suit.
oh hell, she says.
I have to go back
and change now.
look at me! but
let's look at this whale
first, you tell her,
approaching
the giant beast washed
upon the shore.
his eyes are blinking
and occasionally he
shoots water out of the
top of his blow hole.
maybe we can push him
back in, you tell her,
digging your feet
into the sand
and shoving with
all your might
on his nose. i'm going
back, betty says.
I can't push that whale
with this juice all
over my suit. i'll be
back later. i'll put
on my yoga shoes
for traction, be careful,
those things have
teeth, she says.
don't let him bite
you, or worse swallow
you like that guy in
the bible, Jacob, or
jimmy, or something
like that. Jonah, you
yell back as she
scurries down the beach
covering up her suit
where the cherry juice
spilled. you pat the whale
on the nose and shake
your head. bad day,
eh? you tell him.