Note from the author: I've been sitting on this poem for a few years. I intended it as an examination of humanity as scavengers of ourselves, and I feel it is more relevant now than it was when I started piecing it together.
Please note: this piece includes sensitive topics that some people might find difficult. Please visit our Resources Page for help.
Goldfish
The river on the edge of the village
is a different kind of goldmine than the villagers are used to,
gold all the same
fishermen, what they call themselves now
feet in their combat boots
parading in the dawn after a night of fire and
shying away again when the guns begin to speak
fishermen return with gold and more combat boots
the previous feet in them removed
sometimes intact clothing
having stripped the fish floating down the river
and discarded the photographs in their pockets
every day finding more fish to strip,
every day fresher than yesterday,
fishermen growing concerned
because you can see it,
their eyes are darkening,
and every day, the laughing joy of finding
is edging into panic on the edge of madness
considering that,
first, the river doesn't stop at the village
second, the gun speech is closer-louder every night
third, our resemblance to fish when we are sleeping
perhaps soon,
in the next dawn after war night
fishermen in the next village will be finding us
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