When you see a fish you don't think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through the water... If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement, give a pattern or shape of reality. I want just the flash of its spirit.
quote by Constantin Brancusi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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She Is There
i see some bamboo poles
lining up
on the shallow sea
she is there
watching some fishes without fins
without scales
she is there on some exclamations
this cannot be!
this cannot be!
the fish i know have fins!
the fish i know have scales all over their elongated bodies!
the fish i know can swim!
why are these fishes dying?
why are these fishes swimless in the sea where they belong?
yes my dear, the fishes and the sea, you do not belong there
the fishes are not yours and you do not belong to them
they have their own salty, slimy, scaly world,
they have gills and fins and round eyes
that do not blink
so you cannot tell them what to do, what to become.
in fact, you are neither fish nor fowl
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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A World A Universe
to the pebbles below the fish
and the bubbles
the fish is the only
meaning of their existence
its scales are the suns
its tails meteors
its eyes the gods
and fins the winds
the bowl is the emptiness
the water surrounding is the fullness
to all of them
the world is perfect
their eternity is only
this moment
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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440
Accept the fact
The fear that you have nothing to tell anymore
To amuse yourself
writers' block, shutting up, windows closing,
doors locked, mind shrinking,
like the fish vendor who sells rumors & rotten stories
To the streets
You go to the fish market today
Not buying any fish or selling any or even touching gills
so you can breathe
You’re looking for some
Salt
Taking notes of the fish scales discarded
Trashed
Some fish bones & broken fins
some fishermen catching
Broken hearts on their small eyed nets
You go back with fish fins
And fish tails, thick lips and round moving eyes
You will start with a mermaid story today.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Nothing To Tell, Begin With A Mermaid Story
Accept the fact
The fear that you have nothing to tell anymore
To amuse yourself
writers' block, shutting up, windows closing,
doors locked, mind shrinking,
like the fish vendor who sells rumors & rotten stories
To the streets
You go to the fish market today
Not buying any fish or selling any or even touching gills
so you can breathe
You’re looking for some
Salt
Taking notes of the fish scales discarded
Trashed
Some fish bones & broken fins
some fishermen catching
Broken hearts on their small eyed nets
You go back with fish fins
And fish tails, thicked lippes and round moving eyes
You will start with a mermaid story today.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Newcomer
'There's something new in the river,'
The fish said as it swam.
'It's got no scales, no fins and no gills,
And ignores the impassable dam.'
'There's something new in the trees.'
I heard a bloated thrush sing.
'It's got no beak, no claws, and no feathers,
And not even the ghost of a wing.'
'There's something new in the warren,'
Said the rabbit to the doe.
'It's got no fur, no eyes and no paws,
Yet digs further than we dare go.'
'There's something new in the whiteness,'
Said the snow-bright polar bear.
'I saw its shadow on a glacier,
But it left no pawmarks there.'
Through the animal kingdom
The news was spreading fast.
No beak, no claws, no feather,
No scales, no fur, no gills,
It lives in the trees and the water,
In the soil and the snow and the hills,
And it kills and it kills and it kills.
poem by Brian Patten
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If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape, then cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air.
quote by Doris Lessing
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The End Of The Story Of The Creature Who Feared The Sun And Man
..and so the creature who had feet
and skin
for fear of the sun
learns to live on the water
evolving into a fish
with gills and scales &
some fins
and lots of slime
purposely to evade the
touch of the
fingers of the
moss and stones
its mouth forever silenced
by its
noble choice
just to be
its lonely and
isolated self
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Mermaid In The Night
Mermaid in the night
By: roger guth, jay oliver
1989
I went out fishin on a sandy beach
Cast my line out as far as it would reach
Lookin for somethin for the fryin pan
I kick back with a beer in my hand
I mustve got a big one cause its bendin my pole
Im havin to fight just to keep control
It could be a whale God only knows
Whatever it is its not wearin any clothes
Chorus:
Shes larger than life
Made from holy water
Shes covered in green and got
Little scales upon her
Shes larger than life
Shea a mermaid in the night
Shes got a set of gills like no fish Ive ever seen
Long blond hair and a tail in between
Im in love with a creature from the sea
She brings out the crustacean in me
Her voice is a temptation its a siren song
When we kiss there can be no wrong
I ask her to marry me and be my wife
Do the backstroke the rest of our lives
Chorus:
Shes larger than life
Made from holy water
Shes covered in green
Shes got little scales upon her
Shes larger than life
Shes a mermaid in the night
Shes larger than life
Made from holy water
Shes covered in green and got
Little scales upon her
Shes larger than life
Shes a mermaid in the night
Mermaid in the night
Little mermaid in the night
-- spoken:
I think Ill have the catch of the day
song performed by by Jimmy Buffett
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fish with no tail
as i gaze out of nature... i have seen a fish without a tail
impossible but its true, first things came up to my mind
is, ask whether its worth to give time to remember all
the scene or perhaps, just a memories of a simple
goodbye
as the fish swim, deep beneath the crystal blue water, i
couldn't remember the minutes, the hours past, nay i felt
that i haven't taken my meal, it seems all are just a blink
of a second in my eyes
it keeps on bubbling, even in a thousands seconds it
stay in the water, until i notice that the fish fail to surface
beneath the running water, for the absence of the tail
the body is nothing
all is just a mirror of a fish that, every movement of the
body, the twist of the tail has to follow, its a paradox to
believe that we see the tail of other fish, nay never we
saw that we don't have tail of our own
like the fish it swim, with no direction, only an inspiration
that we can do, yet as it goes there we go, tail that swim
in the water stream with no affection of what to do
now i see, how to swim, in water, lou! where i may go...in
the world of stream when everybody is frame......
poem by Antonio Liao
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Behind This Story
It is not up in the heavens,
It is not beyond the seas,
It is not around you,
It is not near you,
For the teeth of the wild animals are deep in the forest.
It is a concrete hole,
For my wife is wounded;
But who is behind this story?
November 12th 2006,
I escaped from the bullet!
November 14th 2006,
Your own eyes have seen this day;
November 17th 2006,
Six months after the birth of Elias;
With accurate and hones weights,
But like the broken glass on that day!
Take him to your husband and take her to your wife,
And look for both signs on the scales;
With peace at last and like the money in your hand!
Behind this story,
It should be eaten the same day;
Behind this story,
It should be eaten the same night;
Behind this story,
It should be read over and over for understanding!
And to all the fish that school.
Look for the fins and the scales,
And in isolation for seven days;
But tall and strong to satisfy your muse,
For it is clan by clan and clay by clay!
And it is very wonderful to the ears.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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A Fish Eye
A fish eye just looks straight
It never shows emotions
It cannot refuse a bait
That may take it to oblivion.
A fish eye can only stare
Taking everything in one look
In innocence it will dare
To try what it's like on a hook.
A fish eye never cries
As the body grows limp in pain
Eventually it will die
And its scales go down the drain.
A fish eye you cannot eat
It seems to be looking at you
Each spoonful of fleshy meat
Seems to ask 'What did you do? '
(Smile - it's just a meal.)
poem by Cynthia Buhain-Baello
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My Fish Family
Theres a man on the front porch
Says hes related to me
But lately Im finding
It hard to believe
This house is filled with
Spooks and ghosts
They say theyre family
But they are strangers at most
Theyre strange fishes of the deep blue sea
And absolutely nothing like me
They swim around their little treasure chests
When it comes to loving me they give it their fish best
But its hard with all those scales
Of good and bad you see (2nd time: of morality)
Theyre my fish family
My fish family
They may try and hook me
Or put me in a tank
They may try and book me
For robbing a fish bank
cause misunderstanding comes easily
But theyre blowing bubbles
And I can hardly breathe
And when will they understand
I just wanna marry a man
Without seaweed in his teeth,
Without barnacle for hair
Without seaweed in his ears
But their fish ears wont hear me
Theyre my fish family
Theyre strange fishes of the deep blue sea
And absolutely nothing like me
They swim around their little treasure chests
When it comes to loving me they give it their fish best
But its hard with all those scales of morality
Theyre my fish family
My fish family.
Transcribed by silver kat
song performed by by Jewel
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Clean Things
Clean beasts must have split hoof and chew the cud,
Clean fish must have scales and fins,
Clean insects must have jointed legs above their feet to hop;
And like other clean things listed in your Bibe.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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A Romance
He looks at me with a madman's eyes -
It's your house and porch I know so well.
He gives me a kiss with his crimson lips -
Our ancestors had gone to war in scales of steel.
He brought me a bouquet of crimson carnations -
It's your austere face I know so well.
He asked in return for a single kiss -
Our ancestors had gone to war in scales of steel.
He touched me with his finger bearing a dark ring -
It is your dark ring I know so well.
Together we tumbled down on a Turkish divan -
Our ancestors had gone to war in scales of steel.
He looks at me with a madman's eyes -
Dwindle away, o you stars, and fade, o you moon!
He gives me a kiss with his crimson lips -
Our ancestors had gone to war in scales of steel.
poem by Daniil Ivanovich Kharms
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In The Arabah
From her flow of blood,
Her monthly period;
Check the spot,
A female child;
But, don't shave your heads for the dead!
For, i am here with my muse.
Remember! Never forget;
With the edge of the sword,
For, i am here with my love.
Fins and scales,
Examine them;
And like a special treasure for all the girls!
But, i am here with my muse.
Of all that have both fins and scales,
Don't eat abominable things! !
And like a special treasure for all the women.
Men for war,
Women sfor slave,
Children for death!
And like a special treasure for all the men;
But i am here with my love.
A pleasing aroma,
In the Arabah;
But the meat is on the wood with fire around it!
And like the two kidneys,
But, seasoned with salt.
Springs of water,
The fat of the bull! !
Listen to the sound of the singers;
For, the horses hooves pounded.
Of your own flesh and blood,
But to rob all who passed by;
And like a special treasure for all the ladies! !
But, i am here with my muse.
The way of the earthly things,
The way of the heavenly things,
I am now very old and advanced in age;
But i am here with my love.
The accent,
The coercive power!
And like the allotment of a tribe;
But, in the Arabah with the muse of my love.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Good Friday
A recipe for thought:
Take a pair of scales
as large as the boundless human mind,
and into one scale
pour all the goodness in the world that you can see
carefully
and into the other,
all the evil in the world that you can see;
into the first scale now add
all the joy that you have known
(the joy of others you can never measure)
and into the other, all the misery,
(the misery of others you can never measure) :
into the first, add all the laughter you can remember,
and into the second, all the tears;
and now, from the cupboards of your heart,
add what you will
to either scale:
the hopes and fears
of all the years.
now give one day each year
to the watching of these scales
and see if slowly, gently, as we watch
with all our love
the scales
move
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Will To Love
It has often been my dream
To live with one who wasnt there
Like an ocean fish who swam upstream
Through nets, by hooks, and hungry bears.
When the water grew less deep
My fins were aching from the strain
Im swimming in my sleep
I know I cant go back again.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
Ill never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
Its like something from up above.
I can be like a fire in the night
Always warm and giving off light
But there comes a time when I shine too bright
Oh, Im just a fire in the night.
And now my fins are in the air
And my bellys scraping on the rocks
I still think someone really cares
And Ill keep swimming till I stop.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
Ill never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
Its like something from up above.
Im like a singer on the stage
With the golden lights and liquid rage
Down from the mountains to the sea
Cool running love keeps cleansing me.
It keeps my gills from getting dry
But it distorts things in my eyes
Sometimes I see what really isnt there
Like my true lover, and I care.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
Ill never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
Its like something from up above.
Sometimes I ramble on and on
And I repeat myself till all my friends are gone
And get lost in snow and drown in rain
And never feel the same again.
I remember the ocean from where I came
Just one of millions all the same
But somewhere someone calls my name
Im a harpoon dodger, and I cant, wont be tamed.
Got the will to love, the will to love.
Ill never lose it, never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
Its like something from up above.
Baby, if I see boredom in your eyes
Ill know my river has run dry
But I wont turn back with that lonely tide
I bought that ticket and Ill take that ride.
If we meet along the way
Please sway beside me, let us sway together
Our tails together and our fins and mind
Well leave this water and let our scales shine
In the sun above and the sky below
So all the water and earth will know
It has often been my dream
To live with one who wasnt there.
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Boy Fishing (Cavatina Sequence)
Alone he watches the water ripple,
without movement
he waits with the line going in quite deep,
in a moment
the muddy water stirs in little circles,
tense enjoyment
goes through the boy as line sings, starts running,
he jerks the rod, the fish jumps, it's stunning
with its golden silver scales glittering,
it dips under
and the fight is on as it twists and turns,
quick like thunder
again it jumps and twists back to escape,
without blunder
the boy reels in, still better hooking it,
over the river fighting bit by bit.
poem by Gert Strydom
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Radar
A Postscript for Marianne Moore
No one exactly knows
Exactly how clouds look in the sky
Or the shape of the mountains below them
Or the direction in which fish swim.
No one exactly knows.
The eye is jealous of whatever moves
And the heart
Is too far buried in the sand
To tell.
They are going on a journey
Those deep blue creatures
Passing us as if they were sunshine
Look
Those fins, those closed eyes
Admiring each last dropp of the ocean.
I crawled into bed with sorrow that night
Couldn’t touch his fingers. See the splash
Of the water
The noisy movement of cloud
The push of the humpbacked mountains
Deep at the sand’s edge.
poem by Jack Spicer
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Evolution
the Higher Spirit
so loves
the human race
a whole world
is created
for its evolution
the birds
they are
instruments
to tune up human's
mind and soul
and the challening
riddle to conquer sky
the crickets
they are to
share with humans
the subtleties of
romances
the dogs
they are to exhibit
how love sews
trust and loyalty
the fish
that the sea
is full of adventures
gills, fins,
scales and all
the cat
how to strut
with pride,
confidence
though the physique
is small
a far cry from
the powerfl tiger
the parrots
how to micmic
and play to the tune
of another species
take all
these creatures away
and man would evolve
into nothing more than
these animals
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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