Stuck in the Bowl

Poem about goldfish and dreams.

Stuck in the Bowl

 

thoughts swim in the soul
like goldfish
seeing everything,touching
nothing beyond their bowl.

 

goldfish want to dance
goldfish want to sing
like majestic birds,
but they just swim in circles

 

seeing everything,
touching nothing

 

goldfish want to be words
goldfish want to be notes;
new notes.

 

but they're not;
they're just stupid fish
stuck until they die!
in their bowl.
in the mind.

 

no savior to be had
just a maintainer
keeping them
fed and swimming.

 

music dies
writing dies
paintings die
laughter dies
everything dies

 

right there
in the bowl:

 

Seeing everything,
touching nothing.

 

Then flushed into the sewer

to rot

Author's Note

Hi

Reviews

[Jay Randall]

KV hit this one dead-on. I also own an aquarium and this poem makes me a bit misty to watch them laying at the bottom of the tank there...wait, one just floated to the top. I'm sure he'll be fine. Anyway, you always have a unique way of linking unrelated things in your work. "Goldfish want to be notes". The musician in me finds that a clear and bright point in the poem.

[Kevin Vorshak]

As someone that owns an aquarium, I find this an intriguing piece of work. I like the way you relate goldfish to dreams and how, if left trapped in the bowl, they die a definitely ignoble death. To me, it shows the need to allow our creativity to come out.