<font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">ARS POETICA: SETTING
UP AN AQUARIUM</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">You go from a
disclosure</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">to an
announcement in 4 gallons.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Friends, your
cigarettes</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">look like
tiny fish food morsels</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">and are
killing our fish.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">You of course
want proof.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">There <i>is</i> a goldfish society</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">sunlight will
find.  A bright </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">red flag. 
Science in the daylight </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">will not
reach a definite conclusion. </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">You are
horrible</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">thunder over
the water.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">When you’re
setting up</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">an aquarium,
your teeth snap.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">__________________</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">A half an
inch of good, </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">flat skipping
rocks.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Your speech
patterns </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">will become
simpler over time.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">If the fish
lack heads,</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">1 can diced
chilies.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">A color
scheme</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">based on
nature.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Across the
street</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">there is an
aquarium</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">under construction.</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">I am writing
postcards</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">with text and
2 old men</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">fishing with
dynamite. <br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0.1pt"><br><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"></span></font></p>



<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"><b>Scott Abels</b> currently lives
and teaches in Honolulu, where he edits the online poetry journal <a href="http://countrymusicpoetry.org" target="_blank"><i>Country Music</i></a><font><i>.</i></font>  He is
the author of <i>Rambo Goes to Idaho</i>
(BlazeVOX, 2011) and <i>Nebraska Fantastic </i>(Beard
of Bees, 2012). <br></span></font></p><br>-- <br>RealPoetik<br><a href="http://www.realpoetik.org">www.realpoetik.org</a>