fish tank

drifting in the soothing sigh of the filtered water

that ripples the brown noise and plaster of the waiting room

three cubic feet of artificial life sealed in snow globe liquid 

which keeps me trapped sedately under its surface tension

neon jellyfish fluorescence and operating bulb glare

only illuminate stray water striders and dust mites

intricate underwater maze of yellow-dash gridlines

guides me to the next calla lily field catnap

a past life’s dreams, viscous as algae bloom

gone in a flurry of bubbles, a red-purple veiltail swish

searching for sustenance in smooth moss agate pebbles

goldfish mouth pressed to the cool tempered glass walls

i know that the promise in the spiderweb fractures over my reflection

will never be worth the raw burn of the first inhale