Apr/May 2026  •   Poetry

Do Fish Sing?

by Rose Marie Boehm

Painting by Pamela Heater

Painting by Pamela Heater



Do Fish Sing?

1)
The dragonflies flit and show off shimmering gowns
Snails live rent-free on the resident water lilies' leaves
Tadpoles waste their youth in the creeping jenny

2)
Skylarks giggle and rise into the summer sky
Red roofs knitted into green are shrinking, shrinking
Woodlice, beetles, spiders stay put under the rocks

3)
The sloth smiles and calmly observes the haste of others
An eyelash viper tries on dresses in many colors
Caiman half closes his eyes pretending good intentions

4)
Swifts on the washing lines shit galore while holding a powwow
The vines' tentacles strangle the branches of the apple trees
A wasp queen designs a new and complex paper home

5)
Moles shovel their way blindly through the earth
Moon melts her silver into the night gardens
The fish in the pond shed tears of joy at frog's wedding