by Arthur Locke
a father and
a five year old
daughter visit
a fish pond where
guppies wriggle past
decorative rocks and
green moss
a father smiles and
puts an arm around
his daughters small shoulder but
she doesn’t smile and
a tear traces her
sunken eyes and
pale skin
a father follows and
watches her gaze where
she watches a
limp fish float like
a fallen leaf caught
in the ripples of
a dark puddle
a father traces and
follows her tear with
a calloused thumb and
asks her what’s
wrong and
she whispers like
the crinkle of a dried up leaf
Death.
a father startled and
stunned then crouches to
look into the depths of
tired whites and
tries to catch a
glimmer of the fish reflect into
her eyes
a father speaks and
asks where did
she learn and
know that
a still fish at
the surface of
a fish pond is
Death.
a father hears and
listens to the
rustle of a
gown as
small shoulders rise and
fall for some things a
child does not want to explain
a father drops and
lowers a hand then
wonders when
does a child learn that
a fish floating at
the surface of
a fish pond is
Death.
a child sniffles and
sneezes and
her eyes close and
break the light but
they open and
the fish is gone with
flickers of ripples
a child smiles and
grins with
a too old smile and
too skinny face at
her laughing father who
is crouched by
the waters edge
a child knows and
understands that
a man can
snatch a fish from
a fish pond but
cannot snatch the word goodbye from
her lips
a child thinks and
believes that
they understand something greater but
no two words mean
the same and
we never know
whether the mirror is our reflection
for death is not one thing nor
two and
not any number of things a child could
count on one hand nor
two so
death is not something
a child with two hands and ten fingers can understand
a child knows their father who
has long arms and
quick hands but
not the fish that
sleep at
the surface of
the fishpond