The Fish of My Dream

Photo by Clay LeConey on Unsplash

I sailed the seven seas
Away from a land of disease
For a glistening treasure
Valuable beyond human measure,

A fish to nourish my mind, body, and soul.
And I think of the many schools of fish I passed — of every. Last. Shoal.
I passed up groupers, snappers, eels, and bream
In search of the elusive fish from my dream.

I threw out my net every day
Just to toss the bounty I caught away.
To reel in my line
In hopes that it’s finally time —
To see a sardine, tuna, or a pike,
Or any other fish that I do not like.

To starvation I succumb,
Soon to be nothing but chum.
My dying thoughts turned to the tail I had chased,
A foolish, fruitless, frivolous waste.
Now washed upon the bank of Death’s icy stream,
I will never find the fish of my dream.