The world is a sea of gigantic aquarium
Of immeasurable acreage;
With eclectic species of humans:
Coal, Amber, Snow and Bronze;
365 score days in the whale's gut,
Junketing from Kolkata, Kalamazoo, Kathmandu,
East, West, North and South,
Hustling, jostling, bustling, brainstorming;
Angling for a mess of portage
At the close of season;
Like Jonah,
We will gracefully, and discretely age and be dispensed,
To the other side of the divide,
To interface with the HeadMaster of all Master's!
Dim tunnels curve a segmented ocean.
Bat-winged feeding specters
browse glass. Scaly hulls
blow gas tanks. Rainbow skimmers
flick and soar.
A child’s sweet nose pressed
against a face so horrible,
bubbles of fear pop
in my brain.
Above us, jellyfish swim,
dendritic minds dangling.
tentacles of electric awareness.
Sharks circle waiting to be fed.
shark lovers, perhaps fantasying’
swimming in and out
of their bloody teeth.
It’s a movie - we gawp and admire,
shiver and savor
between margins of beauty
and grotesque gulping’s.
Red and blue squadrons
of directional floor arrows,
lead us out into the light -
a place that some believe
is a safer landscape.
Dim tunnels curve a segmented ocean.
Bat-winged feeding specters
browse glass. Scaly hulls
blow, rainbow skimmers
flick and shimmer.
A child’s sweet nose pressed
against a face so horrible,
bubbles of fear pop
in my brain.
Above us, jellyfish swim,
dendritic minds dangling.
tentacles of electric awareness.
Sharks circle waiting to be fed.
shark lovers, perhaps fantasying
swimming in and out
of bloody teeth.
It’s a movie - we gawp and admire,
shiver and savor
between margins of beauty
and grotesque gulping’s.
Red and blue squadrons
of directional floor arrows,
lead us out into the light -
a place that some believe
is a safer landscape.
The cichlids patrol their 48”x18”x18” tank and
though this country has been officially metric since
April Fool’s day, 1975, I still measure fish and tanks
in inches, feet, ounces, pounds and gallons.
A mix of African cichlids, from lakes Victoria and
Tanganyika, but tanks are the only world they’ve known.
Cichlids are of interest to me because of their diversity,
they're the fish equivalent of Galapagos finches.
But I really keep them because their bright colours and
constant motion especially at feeding time provides
a brief respite from the humdrum.
Each species more or less keeps to themselves,
establishing ever shifting territories in the
nooks and crannies of the rock wall I built,
that runs through the middle of the tank.
There is a balance of density and species,
which I never quite manage to maintain and
as they mature, intra and interspecific aggression
becomes a factor and every so often, I’ll find
a beat-up loser floating at the top of the tank.
But other times they breed successfully and
if I separate the mouthbrooding female early
enough, I can raise another generation of fry.
Freedom is confined in a lone house with sunken cobbles.
The home is filled with synthetic ornaments and electric bubbles.
I'd live in the secret waters and explore life thenceforth
Rather than reeling in circles; I’m going back and forth.
The tail is the love of his eyes; he made my orange-fin as decoration
But never he heard the old merman’s tale and took it as his inspiration.
Tomorrow is just nothing; I’m not looking forward to
Except for the food he’ll give me that I could chew.
In search of my purpose, I breathe underwater and found emptiness.
As pure as waters around, there is no happiness.
Lei Strauss 2021
aquarium seas
tuna whales sharks dolphins squids
ride wave vehicles
Dim tunnels curve a segmented ocean.
Bat-winged feeding specters
browse glass. Scaly hulls
blow gas tanks. Rainbow skimmers
flick and soar.
A child’s sweet nose pressed
against a face so horrible,
bubbles of fear pop
in my brain.
Above us, jellyfish swim,
dendritic minds dangling.
tentacles of electric awareness.
Sharks circle waiting to be fed.
shark lovers, perhaps fantasying’
swimming in and out
of bloody teeth.
It’s a movie - we gawp and admire,
shiver and savor
between margins of beauty
and grotesque gulping’s.
Red and blue squadrons
of directional floor arrows,
lead us out into the light -
a place that some believe
is a safer landscape.
A silo water casket scintillates glow
Green sea-weed blanket, bright red and yellow.
Pebbles and gravel, in a crystalline show.
Fizzing of bubbles the aquatic-air combo.
A vista of motion, flashes a rainbow.
A bunch of humans thrown, in the confined gizmo.
Dull green eyes, swim an ocean pseudo.
The drift of life, it's all real although.
The wriggle of fins, of the snooty goldfish.
The ripple of gills, of the elite angelfish.
The humble jellyfish, and the snail all sluggish.
The crabs and corals, the intricate gimmicks.
Each and every home marvels marine mimics.
Our penthouse aquarium of ornamental beauty
We all are sealed in our filial duty.
Unbreakable, shatterproof, cocktail glass of captivity...
Mundane activity, glows in endless sanguinity.
Then one day, motionless fish in sea..
will be flushed out, quarantined to liberty...
will swim across free ....the ocean of eternity.
Placed First in Brian Standard Jan2019 Contest
Is so spectacular.
They're man made places
To show us how aquatic
Things live underwater.
The huge water filled enclosures
Are decorated spaces
For each inhabitant
Which makes them unique
And hospitable.
Children are educated,
While being fascinated,
And insatiable
While enjoying the calming effect of the
Aquarium.
aquarium fish
multicolor fins float forth
spellbinding calmness
Sitting by them in the Aquarium
before I saw blue fish,
I saw the Chinese couple not getting on.
Arms were raised and hands
and awkwardness to show.
It must have been their first date -
at least that's what I wanted to imagine.
Their pamphlet was in Chinese,
and in the end, the man pushed it -
a blue fish-shape pirouetting on her nose.
------------------------------------------------
7/17/2017
Contest - First Date
Sponsor - Kim Rodriguez
1st place win
My life in an aquarium, so great,
But fearsome, with unknown fate.
Swimming against the fresh water,
Flapping my gills for a breather,
The air pump producing bubbles,
Sending my body in jiggles,
The actinic lights send a spectrum,
Each time causing a spasm,
And I move downward in fear,
Hoping I might disappear,
My life in an aquarium, so great,
But fearsome, with unknown fate.
Re-surfacing after a short while,
Assured of a safe profile,
Going back to my previous dance,
The water brewing romance,
Keeping my eyes wide open,
Of course with great caution,
I detect vibratory ripples,
Must be time for something scrumptious,
My life in an aquarium, so great,
But fearsome, with unknown fate.
Following my meal lead nobly,
I come upon a worm on a spree,
Hidden by the blue green algae,
Yes it seems so beefy,
Covetously I swallow my meal,
Trying to elope with zeal,
I notice my mouth is hooked,
Sooner or later I might be cooked.
My life in an aquarium, so great,
But fearsome, with unknown fate.
i put a door on my aquarium
so the fish could come and go as they please
although the idea might be scaring them
it's not like i made it screened
if they just barely open it
that will help to stem the flow
i know the goldfish are all hoping that
the guppies don't treat it like a swinging door
i'm sure they'll get used to it in time
as we all do things in life
and when they do they'll come to realize
above all else my genius mind
Written by Gail DeBole on October 29, 2016
Gracefully drifting
Unknowing theatre for our eyes -
The Jellyfish wows.
Capture your interest?
Here's where you can see pictures and learn about the Egg Yolk Jellyfish.
https://featuredcreature.com/fried-egg-jellyfish-are-kind-of-adorable-no-yolk/
fish eye to fish eye
in love's stony embrace
two rock fish kissing
________________________
Note: This haiku was created from
my poem "Kissing Rocks."
I'm finding it fun to write different
forms for the same poem, with
small word changes.
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