I come from fish
Small, puckered mouth
Big glassy eyes
Slimy, wet
Fins and scales…
I entered this room
Through the water
In the floor
While you were watching TV
We always come that way
It's a very long swim
From deep within the nucleus
Of your cells
We slip between the cracks
Feeling our way in the dark
All the way
From the center
Of the world
Remember when
You swam the water like me?
Wiggling against a viscous hand
We slid through its loose grip
Accelerating our mono-muscular shapes
With whiplash action
Twisting and darting
We flew like birds…
Now you keep it inside of you
You had to change.
I guess you liked the idea
Of walking through air ---
Better than water ---
You must of thought
It would be easier
To live in a dry world
Where your hands are free
To make things
Things like shelter
And weapons.
Mating props
And camouflage.
You haven't swam
As far as you think
You sit watching TV,
Feet in water,
We swim as cats about your ankles
Opaque fish eye
We know you don't see us
Your feet are grounded
But you walk on water
Sit down and move forth,
Suburban hermit crab
Elaborate your defenses
Hide your soft bodies,
Sequester your lies…
I'll say good bye now,
Though I know you won't hear me
You'll swim through your life
And think you were walking
And end up drown in salt water.
Born raw long ago yesterday
So quickly you forget,
But yours is to scurry and toil
Then nod out while watching TV
