Opaline or starburst or emerald green—
descriptors for barbus or brochis or
gynmocorymbus. The bubble pump flares
sidefins and whiskers. Aquarium fish
appear as mechanical wind-up toys.
They troll the bottom of pop-rock gravel.
A floundering Butterfly Balloon Molly
performs a sideshow for the children
who muddy the clarity with their fingers
or cause underwater earthquakes with a tap
on the glass. Last night the catfish’s white
whiskers, illuminated fluorescent,
looked like the white of hot flames, licking
the sides of the tank, making water boil.
