Bound by four hard glass walls
The fishes in the glass-tank think:
'We have all
We need - food to eat, water to drink;
Tall green weeds through which we
Can glide undisturbed all day long.
We are free
From anxiety and stress and fear. Among
The smooth pebbles in the soft sand
We can lie asleep
And dream of grand
Palaces in the immutable deep.
Yes, we can never forget. We
Are the spawn
Of a generation spawned in the sea.
We were born
With the dangers and delights
Of the deep within us. Ours
Is a never-ending hope that some day, someone might,
As one opens a flower,
Open for us, not a tin can
Full of worms or crumbs (cheap
Dainties of man)
But the green-blue dream-world of the deep.'
I love the end of the poem. I love the thought that all creatures must struggle and overcome adversity to enjoy life fully. It is not enough to be enclosed in four walls and have food. There must be mountains to climb.
Tan, This is my favorite poem of yours so far. The imagery is fabulous - I became the little fish in the tank swimming amongst the green weeds and sleeping on the pebbles. Awesome! Shannon
I love the Fishes' nostalgia and their plea for benevolence. A brilliant poem.
Thoughts of Fishes in a Glass Tank. What a beautiful poem. I always wonder what fishes in glass tanks thing...and i think i get it now. This is a cool poem Tan. Keep writing. Peace.
Yes, I love your kind of poems, as I also sometimes try so hard to slip into the 'mind' of earth's other creatures, or rather to try and translate to our human mind how the other animal must be feeling about things. -
A wonderful hope to finally be free and swim in the ocean of freedom. I agree with Dan reminding me of Nemo. Patricia
A really strong opening line, like your perception here and the optomism at the end that one day they might be free to swim the' green-blue dream world of the deep'. Regards. Justine
Tan, After my last goldfish, I realized I didn't want to have a fish confined in such a small space any longer. I felt it better fish be free like your poem says that fish long to be. Good poem. Sincerely, Connie Webb
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I loved the start of this The four hard glass walls were very descriptive and uregd to me to read further This is a very good poem