Commander

To Commander Howard M. Bosworth, Ruler of the 7 seas:


You were a good fish, a kind fish
And I only truly wish
that I had known more about goldfish care
before Mary won you at the fair. 

You could have lived a full life
20 years or more
who knows what antics and exciting turns
may have been in store
for you

I treated you for swim bladder infection,
indigestion, bacteria, and fin rot
I hoped, I really thought
that you would eventually get better
that you would be with me forever

And now you're gone
And I'm sorry
And I feel I've done you wrong

You were just a little goldfish
you didn't ask for this
you didn't deserve to begin your life as a prize
and finish it, alone, in a dark kitchen
never having seen the sun rise
over a quiet, regulated pond
with your friends and offspring.