A FISH RECOUNTS

I was gliding through the waters,
To where, I did not seem to know – 
Wherever the invisible currents led me to,
Wherever water wanted me to flow.

At a distance I saw a shrimp too small,
And though I was satiated, I thought,
“One little shrimp won’t do any harm.”
So I sped towards what my eyes had caught.

As I aimed towards the shrimp,
Something sharp slid right through my mouth.
Was this the shrimp’s defense
Evolved to a level which I did not know of? – I doubt!

But these thoughts left my confused mind
As I was jerked out of water.
I felt so unnatural and helpless,
As if in another world, no less than a blur.

I yearned to go back
To the seamless, endless sea,
But saw no way to return to the world
Where moments ago I was gliding free.

But just before I suffocated to death,
I heard someone say, “Isn’t this fishing season pleasant?”
And a hope emerged – maybe I will find more like myself,
Gliding through the endless heavens…

• Pakhi