Alrighty, here we go

Welllllll I believe the time has come to own up to my first post and put a poem up here. My creative writing prof liked this one, soooo YOU SHOULD TOO. I was inspired by some african art involving mudfish in my art history class this past semester.


Mudfish

Well you live
In two places and one
Is in the dirt.
And I can imagine that it sticks to you
And rubs against your brown-and-white
Scaly flesh on your stomach and sides,
As the ribbed fins propel you,
And little rocks prick your belly.
You never quite can reach the grass
Which is fitting because it might only
Rip and split your delicate skin.
I do not know why you insist on risking
Your skin for a bit of sunlight.

Well you live
In two places and one
Is in the dirt, but
The other is in the mud.
The sludge of the bottom is a dark and cool
Envelope that you bury your scorched, pierced
Body in, soothing the pulsing flesh.
Rolling through the wet earth
Sliding fluidly, your abdomen slick,
The lack of traction suits you.
You can swim, but prefer to let
The shallow water glide over you,
Soaking your half-used gills that wish you
Would always let them do the breathing.

I sometimes wish
I had gills like you, so they could remind me
I was meant for one thing
And not another.



So there you go...