Oprah - Dec. 6, 2021

she dangled and swayed

a regal shadow in the pond

trailing an elegant fantail

unhurried

the red and white goldfish

always in a tight orbit around her

planets circling a curious darkness

irresistible like a black hole

with her ink-stained fins

stirring the surface

she would look past me

past the trees the clouds

one day I couldn’t find her

I wondered then if she’d

shed her liquid silhouette

for something more buoyant

perhaps stole a pair of wings

from a lazy butterfly

flew into the sea of night

and found her place

among the stars