transparency of the flatfish
the light above my writing desk
spreads out into the dark
i invite my visitors in on paper
my four children
dorsally and anally finely balanced
small throat fins constantly in motion
eyes exceptionally soft
in the shallow stagnant water Ma is wrestling
with the metaphors
come closer here above the dictionaries and empty pages
oh how fond i am of this gentle small school
these four nimble fishes of mine
enticed closer what shall i feed you?
dearest child let your slim small flank
descend to the sea-bed
over in that direction so yes it
pinches a bit but Ma’s holding you tight Ma
is here
the underside eye amazingly blue like your Pa’s
cautiously migrates with a complex cluster
of nerves and muscles
to the top alongside the other
your jaunty small mouth that’s almost askew
but in time your tongue will find its own place
the upper flank’s pigment already darkening
you lie inconspicuously among sand and rocks
a part of the sea-bed and never
rapacious again or in flight
i press my mouth against each little twisted face
Ma knows
you all will survive the tide
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