Aquarium Heart Poem by Cristina Ventura

III
I blew out the windows in my aquarium heart
I meant to warn you of the broken glass from the start
I tried my hardest to calm the creatures swimming inside
To placate their life, and cause them to hide,
But they would not settle and the water would not rest
And so the double-plated glass had become distressed
Its silica structure had begun to crack
A cascade of broken bonds from its crystal lattice stack

IV
The fissures grew deeper and the water oozed out
Drop by drop, a network of millions of tiny spouts
And all at once a series of explosions transpired
Spectacular simultaneous blasts as if they conspired
The fluid rushes out and the critters follow
Spilled are the contents of my vessel once hollow
The fish flop, and the shattered shards embed themselves
Oh what chaotic catastrophe is brought to those who delve

V
The windows, my looking glass now a mosaic of tragedy
The consequence of making these fluttering fish my enemy
However, they survived the sting of the glass
As we put them in a bowl to watch the time pass
And we fed them fish flakes to appease their appetite
Twilight dinner dates to watch them swim with delight
But it was a fleeting moment that I soon forfeit
As I took the once open door and then closed it

VI
Back to the shallow puddles the aqua-animals go
With hungry eyes they look to you their life they owe
Left to die in stagnant pools
Divided are the once glittering schools
Alas the shell of my heart after the mighty swell
Makes gasps for air as it resides under your spell
Then punishes itself yet again consenting to exile
Only to behold my body whole caving and collapsing in sloppy style

VII
But amongst the pelagic pisces something began
A strange force of gravity pulled inward all that swam
And all that swum had just begun –to awaken
This was their final battle –they would not be shaken
The water now sparkling rose with gentle urgency
And in my heart's core formed a sphere of splendorous intricacy
From the relic fragments arose stained glass panes
And thus my aquarium heart had windows once again