Goodbye Godfrey

Godfrey died today.
Drifted round for days
on his back
tiny little chap
or might have been
his tummy –
hard to keep track
of a fish’s anatomy.

His daphnia floated
aimlessly,untouched.
Usually it was gone
in five minutes flat
yet strangely enough
every day
he looked more bloated.

Then he began to list
flipped to port-side
so I surmised
he’d about had his lot
the poor old sod.

His scales always
so brilliant orange
turned pale and insipid
as I watched him float
right to the top
of his little glass bowl.

As I tipped him down the sink
heard the waste-disposal grind
made me think
how transient life is.