From the Other Side

I am a fish
Contented with the murky depths
And the cool waters.
By chance, or maybe fate,
I look up.
A flash, a glint of light
Draws me from the bed
With its mystery, beauty,
Allure. A lure.

I am a fish
And I have fallen
Hook, line, and sinker.
Now I'm stuck,
Trapped.
Barbs deep in my cheeks,
Stuck in my throat.
I thrash and I writhe
And the trap sinks deeper.

I am a fish
Drawn away, pulled up
By the barbs in my cheeks
Into the light, into the air,
Drowning in air.
A hand stills me,
Firm, unyielding,
The barbs are ripped from
My cheeks, my throat, my eyes.

I am a person
And I am a boy,
With scars in my cheeks,
My throat, my eyes, my heart,
And like that fish
Tossed back into the river, TO never bite
Nor only taste
Never again.