The Poem for the month of September is "If I Were a Fish"  

If I Were a Fish


If I were a fish (and it may yet come to pass),
I would consign my soul to the water
And wear it like a linen shroud
That moves with me in cool continuum.

I would split the water with my lip
And, with my tail, I’d sew it up;
I’d venture forth as I see fit,
Silver in the morning,
Bloody gold at night.

But never would I break the plane
Of the silver ceiling overhead
(Unless, of course, a fly flew by,
Low enough to snap it up).

For if I were to pierce that mirrored veil
For more than just a moment,
I simply couldn’t bear to see
A world that wasn’t meant for me,
A world too cruel for piscine eyes:
I’d be overcome by the sorry sight,
Upon the shore, of elderly trees
Enslaved by wind, made to dance,
Their limbs pulled back and snapped
Like whips, and I’d see, as well,
The desperate flight of fathers and mothers
Along the beach, screaming names
Of sons and daughters,
Plucking up children on the run
Before the rains arrive.