"pescatarian" poems
last English class of the day, hoodie on, earphones on, Modest Mouse Ocean Breathes Salty, sun half-way down, subtly setting, slight breeze, hold down hoodie as I walk, half-empty parking lot. a lot of halves. many things empty, never the mind. language is strange and fascinating. there is a single brown leather boot in the center of the freeway’s entrance cross walk. I notice this, it moves me. lost soles in the city. I image myself getting run over by a passerby, a single navy Sk8-Hi left behind. everything is a story. Del Taco drive-thru, two-for-four fish tacos, I’ve given up on any other kind of meat. Pescatarian I’ll tell them from now on if they ask. It doesn’t make anything better, it doesn’t undo what’s already been done, but at least I’m not contributing to the damage. At least I have that choice. Teenage girl in red beanie, black Adidas joggers, spray can in hand. It is Thursday, this is the city I live in. The Strokes released four new songs today, I signed up for their mailing list. I might go out for dinner later on, but until then I’m not anywhere else.
May 26, 2016
May 26, 2016 at 10:48 PM UTC
Sometimes, tides behind teeth get stuck
as if the moon, distracted,
looses its inexorable pull
then all the weight of water
sits stagnant
while each pescatarian thought
from the zipping, inconsequential minnow
to the ponderous whale bulk
sulks, sick and stuck
If you see these green gills,
or the overspill in the eyes of those
you know
maybe sit awhile, harbour side
and cast a line or two
Mar 18, 2022
Mar 18, 2022 at 3:24 AM UTC
Alex’s shirt is so old-school,
that it’s almost new age.
It’s fabric is home to many a fish,
swimming around his shoulders and sleeves.
I like fish in more ways than one,
I like them as dinner,
but never as lunch.
I like them as friends,
but never as lovers.
I feel that fish live a fortunate life,
they don’t feel sad,
or feel pain,
they aren't even aware of their surroundings.
They hang out in schools,
but oddly,
they never learn anything.
Ignorance is bliss,
fish are lucky this way,
and even though fish are uneducated,
I like to think they each have their own stories.
People say fish can’t be happy,
but I've never met a depressed fish,
and there is something to be said about that.
Oct 9, 2013
Oct 9, 2013 at 4:32 AM UTC
(after dean young)
*“there are some parts of the human brain
even carps spit out.”* but the amygdala births worms
which the fish chew quite sweetly. what isn’t
here: one un-slipped stream, one un-swissed
memory. what is: encephalitis, beetle-black shadow
in the water’s meat. some questions prompt answers
like mouths and feeding. ask yourself why fish bones
are like angels if it isn’t their getting stuck
or the filigree. ask yourself why the first words
of a poem are the skin of an unfathomable ocean,
or why you can only ever think about bodies
and feeding. in the throat, i forgot to say. i take
a layer of algae off the table before sitting down to tuna
and the soup in the coffin that is the kitchen sink.
ask yourself: if the water pressure’s been gone for weeks,
why is your hair always soaked in the morning?
Jun 30, 2015
Jun 30, 2015 at 2:05 PM UTC
They say good things come to those who wait
And only fools rush in
But I missed the boat the other day
While sitting on the fence
They say hands so cold
Tell of hearts that are warm
But that can't be right
What I feel is a storm
They say two wrongs don't make a right
And what goes round comes around
They say shoot for the stars
But keep your feet on the ground
They say there's a window
That can see to the soul
But if that is the case
Mine's surely a door
Out of sight, out of mind
Out the picture, out of time
Out of luck, out of touch
Out of order
But don't cut any corners
Haste makes waste
The first cut is the deepest
Cut straight to the chase
They say knowledge is power
Ignorance is bliss
And practice makes perfect
(what about a kiss?)
They say life is what you make it
And there's plenty fish in the sea
But I'm no pescatarian
Just bark on the wrong tree
They say the rotten apple spoils the bunch
But it doesn't fall far
So take a leaf from someone else's tree
And always follow your heart
Mar 3, 2019
Mar 3, 2019 at 10:45 PM UTC