Fishbowl Home 

Living in a fishbowl  

While they watched  

Patiently  

For a sign  

With bated breath  

For a sign of life 
 

As he lay down catatonic 

They laid their hands on the glass
 

With water filling his lungs  

And his mind swimming  

He reaches 

With his heart weighing him down  

He reaches 

To the top  

To the way out
 

The audience becomes alive  

Murmuring to each other  

Watch with intensity  

Fluttering around the bowl like a bat 

Crashing into it  

And disrupting the peace of the water 

But all intrigued by the show  

That’s happening before their eyes 

He carefully moves up 

Kicks his soggy legs  

His cellophane skin contorts 

Nearly tearing  

He is no longer lying  

With their hands on glass  

Hitting the glass 

And pleading with it 

Each movement disrupting the water 

Creating waves 

Their eyes the moon  

His emotions are the tides 

Bending and breaking to the watchers will 

But vertically floating now  

Closer to the top 

With his hair moving freely  

Swirling around his dull face 

As they watch the play  

As they did before 

They glare with anticipation 

Hanging onto every movement  

He gives it all  

Feels the whirlpool inside his gut 

But the nearly motionless shell  

Does little 

His efforts are futile  

His muscles are tired 

His bones ache  

His will dwindles  

And his body aches with exhaustion  

So he waits for the next day 

Where he will try again  

Where they will watch again  

Critiquing and judging  

Cheering and ranting 
 

He knows he will try again tomorrow  

As he did the previous day 

Over and over again  

Just like the dead man said 

The same thing  

Over and over  

and still will continue to expect  

Different results