to save money
i turn down the heat
when everyone goes off
for the day, i work in a
home office

i noticed that fish
tends to hide in his
ceramic log when the
house cools later in the morning

he peeks out from the hole
to watch me as i walk past
on my way to the kitchen
or the laundry room

i know fish likes his
bowl in the hall where
he can swim and watch the
life of the house around him
but i worry that he may
get too cold during these
short not tropical winter
days

i carry fish with me to the
office while i work, and place
his bowl on the table, next to
the stack of books i have yet
to review, so that he may stay
warm  during the day when
we are home alone
together

fish has no conversation,
and although he has no
patience for the writing
of William Gibson, has proved
a marvelous
listener