Poem: A fish in a stream ( A fish in a dream)
‘A fish’s dream’ is the title close to my heart. Sarah Polyakov’s art is ever-expansive, and this abstract artwork titled ‘Fish in the Stream’ inspired me to write a couple of verses. The first one is a watcher’s wish that the fish survives its journey along the colorful (polluted) stream. The second is a set of dreams by a fish traveling along the stream. Then I found another poem, coincidentally by Priya Patel under the title ‘Ocean Tales’, resonating with the artwork of Sarah.
Poem 1: A fish in a stream
Colorful waters of today
The hues of human industry
Flowing past with reluctance
Just enough to remind us.
Clear, sparkling waters
Flowed in this swirling stream
Like how time went past
Those memories remain in dreams.
Beautiful fish wriggled and danced
Gold and orange, yellow and purple
A source of meditative trance
Invisible today in the colorful turple
I spot the beautiful golden fish
Still swimming strong as in the past
To find its clear waters, I wish
Through this journey, it shall last.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2023
Poem 2: A fish in the dream
I dream –
Orange and yellow,
blue and green
Colorful vicissitudes for
A fish in the stream.
I dream –
The curls and twists
Of the whirlpools and waves
Like the human trapeze for
A fish in the stream.
I dream –
of sunlight bright and clear
To see the bottom so near
As I plunge into the depths as
A fish in the stream.
I dream –
Touch the moon and
Play with the stars
Like the white spongy fish
That swim in the sky unlike
A fish in the stream.
I dream –
To walk on the land
Feel the beautiful breeze
Savor the greens
Smell the soil
Feel the rain
Sometimes the shine
Feel a bit dry and high unlike
A fish in the stream.
I dream –
Of timeless twirls
Gurgling bubbles
An immortal journey as
A fish in the stream.
I dream –
Of the endless realm
Of the watery heaven
That pervades this planet
To last forever and ever as
A fish in the stream.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2023
Poem 3: Ocean tales
I am all the universe
in one small ocean;
sun, moon, stars
and everything in between
Slow and soft,
I swim through each day
like a shimmering goldfish
exploring in the deepYesterday I was a stream
then a gurgling brook
of nonsence and laughter
In a blink of the eye,
I became a quiet wave
fiercely rising,
ready to crash and burn;
ready to wash away
any sadness or pains
so I can shimmer
like a goldfish in the deepToday I am quiet
perhaps tomorrow
I will laugh again© Priya, 12/16, 🕉
Hope you all enjoyed the poems as we journey towards the last couple of weekends of this year.
~Ashok Subramanian
