You caught me fairly by
Holding something in front of my
Eyes; something I dearly wanted.

You recognised my vulnerable
Need and you thought
I'd make your perfect plaything.

In that moment, you
Might have shown mercy;
You might have thrown me
Back in the river where I might
Have stood a chance.

No. You kept me on the end
Of the line and let me gasp
Helplessly for breath before
Depositing me in a clear glass
Bowl with nothing to do but watch you.

You keep me as your pet and you
Make me swim aimlessly round this
Empty existence; naked, stripped of dignity.

This you assume: I am only a
Goldfish, I will not remember every cruelty;
That I will endure neglect and feed off
The unsavoury and infrequent morsels that
You deign to throw me.

You force me to swim around gulping in
My own shit. One day you will find me
Dead on your kitchen floor.