Two memories of fish

i

Mother sent this over IM: 

the male silver arowanas 
would starve and hold 
their young for fifty days—

an act of love, no doubt; 
true paternal destiny.

ii

Pockets of air trapped 
like dry boundaries, as I

wedged the green brontosaurus 
between the aquarium glass 
and the vinyl sheet behind it 

as hard as I could. 
I loved that aquarium 
and its concerted fish.

Dale Chou
2020-10-22