Goldfish on the Patio - May 20, 2025

she lay slightly twisted

four feet from the pond

the one eye showing, coated

in sand and leaf litter

upset, I delay an hour

before I grab the plastic bag

and pick her up, but she flips

once, in my hand

shocked again, I return her

to water where she floats on

her side for several minutes

then swims into the plant jungle

perhaps two or more hours

out of water, failing in her battle

for oxygen, then a very late rescue

I bet if she has one thought

showing off like that was

the dumbest thing I ever did

because now my friends

watch me, bent and breathing

hard, with the kind of pity

no one wants to see