A Little Fish

• Maryclare Walter
• Poetry
• 2003

I'm a tiny spotted fish,
the smallest of my school,
everyone makes fun of me,
except my friend, who's really cool,
she swims with the popular fish,
but'd she'd never forget me,
we've been through many adventures,
like getting lost in the sea,
we swim through the coral,
as fast as we can,
we race from the top of the water,
and back to the sand,
but today is a sad day,
the day she didn't come home,
her parents swim in search of their fish,
hoping she wasn't caught by Shark,
and made into a dinner dish,
that is when i decide that i must save her,
but how i would,
i'm not really sure,
I start to swim,
searching for clues along the way,
but i find nothing, and it's almost the end of the day, it's getting murky and dark,
but I can't turn back,
she'd never turn on me,
I know that for a fact,
but nothing's wrong with taking a break for a minute or two,
that way I could think of a plan that would be better to do,
I'll sit on that rock,
that's covered in green,
as I swim down closer,
a message can be seen,
"Help me!" it says with an arrow pointing to the right,
I swim and swim until a small cave comes into sight,
I see my friend,
and she is stuck,
I must've set off an alarm,
because towards me flies a big ball of muck,
I dive into the cage and didn't get hit,
i turn to my friend and she looks sick,
I tell her we must swim through the dark of night, and find our way home without a light,
I exit as easily as I got in,
Oh no! here comes Shark to cook his din,
quickly I hide behind the cage,
as Shark tears out a cook book page,
"sugar, cinnamon, and lots of salt, these are the ingrediants to cook you into a malt,
what?!? the bottom of the page is ripped he yells,
perhaps more soup, spices, or something that smells, perhaps a fish with tiny spots,
with pink and yellow polka-dots,
oh! that's me I think to myself,
if we dont leave soon,
I'll end up in a cage on the shelf!!
What can we do i say? I have an idea, my fin could save the day!!
I swim to the front of the cage,
while shark is searching for his missing page,
I insert my fin into the lock that is white, I turn it to the left with all my might,
the cage opens without a sound,
ha! Shark doesn't know my friend has been found!
off for home we head,
thankful to God that we're not dead,
I see my mom and my dad,
I swim towards them,
but they look sad,
when they turn and see me,
they swim and shout with glee!!
My friends parents come too,
gliding through the ocean blue
hugs are passed all around
anouncing that we've been found,
thanks my friend says as thankful as can be,
you risked your life just to save me,
After we explain everything to them,
it's back to normal life where we like to swim,
the ocean is more blue,
and the seaweed is more green,
now no one at shool is mean,
I'm a hero in their eyes,
but in mine,
a loyal friend,
Now I know our friendship will never end...