The Talking Fish

They see a man

corded muscles

so tight they bind him

and pull his skeleton

into poses

a fisherman

bent over the haul

.

They watch him pantomime fishing

and listen

as he enacts waves

nonsense all around

.

Watch him cast his thoughts

into the ceiling

how he talks himself in two

and disagrees

.

mumbling

and shouting

empty threats

and laments

.

They’re curious about his songs and pages

of whatever he writes in his notebooks

and which books he has tucked away

and what he thinks while he's fishing

for dreams

.

They’ve explored his collections

and then some

They found the sunken treasures

the history of gestures

the memories and gifts

records of love

.

They even found the cuts

he buried in the past

.

They watch from beautiful

selfless beds

and lakes

They pour down from dark cloud bellies

down like rain

.

And still his thoughts remain locked

in his skull

a prisoner in the galley—

.

He thinks himself

a talking fish in a museum

next to The Gulf Stream

.

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