Poetry Week, Day 3

The octopus, lord of the cephalopods,
Is the brainiest thing with no spine.
In fact, every tentacle, loaded with nerves,
Essentially has its own mind.

The octopus takes on the color and shape
Of almost whatever it wishes.
Being boneless, it passes through very small holes—
The better to catch lots of fishes.

Like the squid, it produces a venom and ink
And bites with a very hard beak.
It can sync with the current or jet far ahead,
Even walk on dry land (you may shriek).

But before you contend that the mollusk one day
Will conquer us all, have no fear:
It cannot survive very long after mating;
Most species live less than a year.