where the koi linger

dear koi fish,

don’t trace the banks where currents seep with unnamed eyes that pierce without blinking.

dear koi fish,

don’t bow for being a blade both bold and blunt, coated with temper and rot.

dear koi fish,

don’t let the unreachable mind be the fool of your past.

dear koi fish,

don’t dissolve into the water.

don’t fold beneath the slit.

don’t cry.

dear koi fish,

don’t die.