deepundergroundpoetry.com
Night Nursery🐟
( senryu )
silently inching unseen,
unless you squint,
the algae-eater — eats
🐟
it never admonishes,
sees or lectures
but duly polishes
🐟
while the two residents,
my tiger oscars,
take turns fanning the eggs
🐟
smartest of all tank fish,
they are royalty
and I feed them by hand
🐟
in the midst of pebbles,
of castle and conch
rests a nest of grey slate
🐟
the expectant mother
excavates under
a safe place for the fry
🐟
I am anxious and drift
till, while I sleep,
thirty-six babies are born
🐟
as algae-eater creeps
in its own dream—
baby-sitting all those kids
🐟
silently inching unseen,
unless you squint,
the algae-eater — eats
🐟
it never admonishes,
sees or lectures
but duly polishes
🐟
while the two residents,
my tiger oscars,
take turns fanning the eggs
🐟
smartest of all tank fish,
they are royalty
and I feed them by hand
🐟
in the midst of pebbles,
of castle and conch
rests a nest of grey slate
🐟
the expectant mother
excavates under
a safe place for the fry
🐟
I am anxious and drift
till, while I sleep,
thirty-six babies are born
🐟
as algae-eater creeps
in its own dream—
baby-sitting all those kids
🐟
Published 22nd Jan 2020
Author's Note
In my 50-gallon aquarium.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 8
reading list entries 2
comments 11
reads 512
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22nd Jan 2020 9:33pm
Sounds kinda fishy to me.
Just kidding. Well done Jade. Always a pleasure to read your work.
hugs,
buddhakitty.
Just kidding. Well done Jade. Always a pleasure to read your work.
hugs,
buddhakitty.
23rd Jan 2020 2:49am
Thank. You so much, dearest Kitty, I’m very glad for such appreciation, and humor.🐟
furry hugs
ever
Jade🐾
furry hugs
ever
Jade🐾
22nd Jan 2020 10:39pm
We love Oscars! Well, we loved one. He was fun until we adopted him out. We hope he had a good full life. 💚
23rd Jan 2020 2:54am
Ohhhh I adore Oscars... especially Tigers! I thank you for stopping by for a read, and the RL honor.😻
🐾
🐾
24th Jan 2020 00:15am
Yes, dear Kathy, the observations are part of how it is when oscars are planning for the big event and beyond. In fact, the amateur owner must read up on what to do, before, during & after, for the parents to have the best chance of success when the moment of truth is at hand.
Thank you for the lovely read, and the honor.🙏🏻
Thank you for the lovely read, and the honor.🙏🏻
23rd Jan 2020 8:42pm
Mm. A zen magnification. This makes me think of the fish tank in my therapist's office. I gaze at it whilst he goes through his paperwork and I think about the intentionality of it's placement. It's soothing sights, sounds, it's occupants swimming about, untroubled, in their silent sanctuary.
24th Jan 2020 00:07am
Thank you, dear Daniel, that’s how it is when I go somewhere like that with a panoramic view of a miniaturized underwater world. The main difference in this case is that I become the creator as a benevolent force, weather & all.
💌🐟
💌🐟
26th Jan 2020 5:13am
26th Jan 2020 10:14am
Thank you, Wally, so thoughtful of you. And may I ask, since a poem on such a theme is so seldom seen, ...what did you like about this ink?
☺️🐟
☺️🐟
27th Jan 2020 5:21pm
like a haiku, it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye in it's brevity. I can almost the see images in the fish tank, the words feel like little pearls of wisdom, witnessing life as it happens in an aquatic little world.
