The betta swims around
in his ten gallon water home
sometimes he passes hidden
times in his betta cave
until he swims to the surface
for some needed oxygen
sometimes he blows bubbles
on the surface of the water
at the top of the aquarium
supposedly he’s making a nest
for the birth of a baby betta
despite not having a love
supposedly you can’t keep a
love with him because
like deadly human spouses
one will kill the other
maybe when he blows the bubbles
he’s dreaming of a betta soulmate
and what could have been
if he didn’t have such a
bad temperament and preferred
to be a solitary fish.
Maybe he’s not much different
from loveless humans dreaming
and wishing they had a love.
Bob Boyd