far back the cave wall studded with soft glowing blue dots, a lullaby of faint light trails where plankton drift.
in the middle rows of sleeping pods, an octopus curled in a teacup sponge, squid hatchlings in hammocks of woven seagrass, a nurse shark circling slowly like a night guard.
up close one wide awake baby cuttlefish practicing color changes, its skin rippling stripes and spots, and a mother anglerfish dimming her lure like a lamp being turned down.
the layers, back to front · one pair of hands each
