TWICE I WALKED WITH DINOSAURS One summer we found

a dead baby shark

washed up on the beach,

cut it open with a dinner knife

[5]from the house,

and performed an

outdoor autopsy.1

As we marveled2 at its

miniature anatomy,

[10]reveled3 in the smallness

of each little organ,

seagulls circled overhead.

The ocean was quiet,

barely making waves.

[15]It kept vigil4 for its tiny causality.

The spring prior,

an alligator wandered

onto the beach during my

uncle’s second wedding.

[20]It was far enough away

to merit an absence of fear, but

nobody took photos or said

a word— we just stared

as it settled itself in the surf,

[25]hoping to be cleansed.

Question:
How do the words used to describe the speaker’s examination and reaction to the shark contribute to the tone of the passage?

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