A Society the Swims - Sept. 23, 2026

don’t judge a fish

by its tail or scales or fat lips,

they’re more than bubble blowers,

finning in tame circles

in my pond there are bullies

and troublemakers

silly and stupid ones

some crafty, others shy

the young and impressionable

and the always friendly,

the whole cross section of society

in cliques and skin-touching friendships

to the casual observer they are just fish

but when the babysitter leaves the room

they assume their real identities, as the

water lilies twitch and bend from a chase,

the quiet ones shrink from the splashes

and the loners and independents follow

the action in slow watchful orbits

those last ones

seem like the fish group

I’d be hanging out with