FISH MOUTHS Poem by Lennart Sjögren

Fish mouths darted out
extinct and not yet effeminate species
also appeared

in such a current
and among such creatures
to preserve one's reason -

But reason was not demanded here
like a distant lump the brain
did not lie on the autopsy table
for autopsies were not needed here.

The used-up and the not yet seen.

The night said
those who wish to may feel free
names are no longer needed
no passes nor any form
of moral legitimisation

the hands on the clock-face had been removed
the fish mouth also turned
and swam away.