A GOLD FISH SWIMS UP BRIGHTLY

A gold fish swims up brightly
carrying a bubble to the surface
like a thought it has found
somewhere on the bottom

a pearl of air
that is meaningless when
returned to the atmosphere

then it swims
softly down into the darkness again
as clouds separate like continents
in my undulating face

the unoriginal thought
that a word is nothing but air
is what this fish has brought

the fish cannot speak it
Nor can I retrieve it
From the watery oblivion
where all words reside
until they are spoken

until they are spoken
that mute ache in the human heart

will not subside