FLUSHED~~~~

I laughed when I realized this poem was about fish! (the title should have clued me in but i'm hopeless) Awesome poem, it made me smile. :)

Very very nice dear Lyz, its sad but good. I had a fish one day called Storm, I found him in a pool in the rocks on the coast of Scotland among the anemones waving their colours around him ( It might have been female, who's to know!!!) I took him with me and put him in a jar of his own sea water, he was not an inch long but with a bright red stripe along him and he glowed so beautifully silvered when he swam. BUT at night, as I hadn't put a lid on the jar, holed, he jumped out and I found him expired on the tablecloth, how devastated I was and that feeling of loss stayed with me ever afterwards, only a fish, but he was my fish. Teach me not to meddle with nature, taking him out of his element for my entertainment!!! Thank you Lyz from Ann XX

Ha ha Lyz... how delightful this is! Had me doing goldfish impressions and attempting to blow bubbles in air after reading this, love the way you start off and seems so serious but it soon turns the tables with goldfish bowls on them over on it head and leaves you with a big grin on your chops and chuckle in your throat. Love the light hearted ending and yet the story is so true. It is so simple and yet touches the heart, raises a smile and has a great moral all rolled up into one fine piece of poetry. Well done Lyz... a great effort indeed! Dale :)

Only you could bring a tear to ones eye, over a little aquarium fish.Your writing is always sensitive and gentle,yet happy, and humorous and that's why we love your poetry, but couldn't you at least have had a funeral;and I guess he was to small to fillet.Thank goodness the big man has a staunch friend like you to carry him through his grief. Next time, get a Parana; when you see the grocery bill, you wont be sad to see him go.love B

My x accidentally killed a whole tank of my angel fish... some paint chips fell in. Life is precious, no matter what it is.. when it's *ours*. (He actually wept too.) What I love about this poem is the perfect balance of pathos and humour. Well done Liz, Barry, my brother had piranah (they're pretty but need braces).... he must have had 6 or 7 tanks, from 20 gallons to 500 gallons. or maybe more... don't quite remember. Liz, thank you for this poem and the comments it elicited... I'm pretty sure poets still remember their own gills somewhere in time. ~A

Don't they just need so much cleaning out lol. My cats loved it when we had fish, wet paw prints for the first day before they were moved to the safety of the top shelf on the book case. nice twist vicki ; )

I used to have multiple marine tanks; so I know the obsession :) I love how you realed us in on this one a joy to wake to ken Ps. my daughter is doing great and still reeling from Christmas and her 6th B-day; Congrats on wonderful coming year. :)

This is exactly the kind of activity the world needs more of. Lovely and well-written,(as always).

That was.... slippery. lol Like the way you had me all strung along until the end. Kind of a cold bath when you realize that shift from sadness of broken relationship to a flushed pet fish. A DEAD flushed fish...I assume. Otherwise... "Its me or the fish!" lol Works well. Good strong imagery. Respectfully Jim "Laws and rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" : Race

:) love Jayne x x x

congrats on spot, you little animal.How these things get started I dont know, but there's an ugly rumer the fish commited suicide after the plastic mermaid said no.B

hi lyz , lol the poor wee fish i never seen it coming , simply sweet and a good laugh and spot ,,,,,,,,ziGGY,,,,,,

"Laws and rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" : Race

and all the time I thought you were talking about a mistress... what - now that we're in the Tyger Woods era, anything is possible! ;) Also reminded me of the John Clees Film: A FISH CALLED WANDA! All in all deserving of the Spotlight! Lol Boni

A paradox, this poem makes you feel something serious is going on, but at the end you see the lightness of it. On the other hand, the lightness becomes serious when our partners pay attention to other things, or seem to ignore our presence. This seeming lack of interest can spark serious quarrels. Fish farming is serious business here. It is called 'point and kill', a delicacy, you know. The seriousness of fish dying in thousands daily is delicious to the mouths of many. Sharing this 'light fun', the poet puts a smile on the faces of her audience and brings out our little foibles. It is masterly written with rhyme and rhythm to give form to the work. Well done Lyz and best wishes T.

For a few seconds I thought you had undergone major life surgery, but thank goodness it was only your good humor. I see you are OK and smiling to your heart's content. Very nice poem, witty and surprising. Excellent! Sincerely, Hugo

I feel a moment of silence is needed here…………………………………………………………………………………………………………ok, that’s enough! My wife thinks I’m crazy but I find it to be more humane to introduce those lil buggers to the garbage disposal as opposed to flushing them when I see that their little lives are coming to the end. At least with the disposal method I know that it will all be over quickly and they never see it coming. She thinks that flushing them is the much “nicer thing to do” but after countless hours of cleaning, researching, feeding, medicating and watching I can’t bear to imagine the thought of our lil children ultimately meeting their deaths by drowning in a pile of raw sewage somewhere down the line. It’s just not very nice to me. :) Cute poem, tell your hubby that I'm sorry for his loss, I feel his pain. Quills

OH you so grabbed us with that first line and we stayed tied and true to the bitter end. Poor little guy, but I have Koi ponds, so fully understand the loss. My daughter has named each and every one - and some truly are dearer than the rest. A delight to read and enjoy. Love your rhyme in this one. A pleasure. ~Pamela

I read your first verse And it was good It struck a cord And set a mood I must read more Your hook was in When downloaded i, couldn't wait to begin Reading your tale I sat and thought Is it a child And I was caught Down near the end My waterworks gushed Only to find A fish was flushed I smiled with glee I'd been a clinker Caught by your poem Hook line and sinker. Well done Lyz, nice one. I to have owned fish, fantails and shebunkins ( spelling may be off, but they were all goldfish of one kind or another !) Like others, I to kept them in an outdoor pool. But they were killed by frost, cats, and the ocassional bird dinning upon them. To the expense of my wallet, and a broken heart. I share your loss, and smiled with you as well. But rise to the challenge, after all, we can start again. Always remember... There's plenty more fish in the... Pet Shop! Sincerely, Kob

Dear Lyz, you have created quite a stir in your little tank, the sand rises and falls and the spray from the waves full of tears of sadness and laughter have made the whole site take part in your ditty, well swayed, your pen of water wept onto the page and set the stage for commenting on cabbages- no fishes and kings- no things. Love to you and all the fish. Ann of Norway.

To get humour in poetry is a hard task, you have done it! I laughed out loud and am still grinning. Well done Chris

light and fun Yes you also made me smile fish far far from oceans or seas in small inland worlds are a beautiful exotic to behold (much like the Neopoet tank!)

hi i really liked it, very nice and i was laughing when i found out it was a fish ,i felt sad at first ,very good

each line is smooth to read and that is your merit. shan

How did I miss this? I can totally relate (my kids being nutters for tropical fish too) and I thought this poem to be very cleverly written. I guess many have fallen into the trap and thought it was about a terribly serious thing like a dying relative (though when I see how my kids react when one of their aquarian friends dies, it is tragic). Brought a big smile to my lips :) Yours, ~Nina P.S. One thing: "it's" (l.11) is grammatically quite terrible. It should be "it would", but that would probably mess up the flow...