Aquarium

my analyst would have seen a green light
- were it a watery dream;
leaping fish in a passion's swell
a deep-sea dive over the dam

but it was no waking fancy
Autumn rain, shoals of glitter-ball
frantically feeling a way to the sea;
how still we stood, in thrall to it all
the storm that sent us sheltering there
beat the boundary walls

water everywhere like the poem, a hymn
to land lovers far from peril in the deep
breathing to a two-stroke rhythm
no occasion for snorkel or scuba tank
safe in the aquarium

Joining with the versifying at Poetry Pantry

30 thoughts on “Aquarium

  1. What a wonderful idea -Polaroid poem – the words and image really submerged us in that setting..a brief..magical moment captured in time

  2. We all live in our aquariums yet pity the fish as at Bournemouth! Freedom is relative to the captivity we enjoy. Perhaps this is why we do dangerous things.

  3. Your poem submerged me in thought,Laura. One to dive into and look at life from a place of safety inside that aquarium! A very interesting form.

  4. I love that aquarium paradox–the surround of water–and rain as well–and yet total safety and therefore enthrallment. It is an amazing photo!

  5. This felt like a dream. The therapist, the water, the nostalgia, the danger, then the safety of the fish tank. I like the form. It seems like it mixes reality with some humor.

  6. i was thinking about a present storm – literally / figuratively.

    is bournemouth in UK? i’ve been to bournemouth once – i liked the place and blog about it before.

    1. the storm is a good metaphor -real or imaginary. And yes Bournemouth is on our Southcoast – literally means mouth of the river (bourne)

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