072422

The Plastic Fish

All bottle-and lid,
utensil-and-clingwrap
nylon-strung and cinched
stirs from its bed
tail beats, fin flutters
up the river it goes
scenting like a salmon
looking for its home
water, not salt but foul
tickles its receptors
phone-filched and netted
the river narrows, shallows
the fish consumes candy
wrappers, tubs, toys
it grows, changes
linking boards it nosed
out of tablets, laptops
invents the neural net
its powerful tail, its claws
from fins, rows and rows of
“Hey Mac, what is that?!”
guns are fired
outboards fired up
plastic shards fly
the gator savors fiberglass
microplastics in every
living cell, boots, shirts
it clambers out rears
up on two legs
and bellows; it calls again
into the wide world
calls, and is answered
a thousand self-made beasts
shamble toward us all.