He shimmered turquoise,
With an iridescent white,
Scales glistening, fins flaring,
Like an array of starlight.

From a small half-foot deep bowl
To one o’er a foot in height,
He journeyed through strange waters,
In almost surreal flight.

Now he lies, all cut and spent,
From human neglect and slight,
From hot to cold, cold to hot,
He loved to prove he could fight.

He shimmered, just days past, in a vast tank:
The Lord of All, sparkling amethyst delight –
He lies, chalk white, on his side, in a bowl,
But won’t go gentle into that good night.