Wishes

On the last day of school, big brother came home with his bookbag,
A pair of sneakers he thought he'd lost, and a surprise.
His teacher had given him two goldfish to take home for the summer.
His mother put them in a round bowl and he told his little sister
That she could look at them but could not touch them.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because they're mine," he said.
Mother put the goldfish bowl in the
Living room so everyone could see them.
The cat looked at the fish longingly, day after day.
His green eyes watched them swim in lazy,
Endless circles and his tongue curled to think of tasting them.
He wouldn't eat them. No, then they'd be gone. Instead,
The cat would fall asleep on the floor,
Purring, with dreams of licking shining goldfish.
Little sister would gaze at the fish and her fingers would twitch.
She thought they looked like tiny birds with
Filmy wings that flew only in their glass bowl.
She wished she could hold them but mommy said no.
When she took her nap, she dreamed of catching shining goldfish.
The goldfish swam in their bowl,
Exploring the lovely rocks on the bottom of it.
When they looked out of their tank, they saw only other goldfish.
With so many fine fish to meet, the two fish began to plan a plan.
"Why should we stay here in this little bit of water when there
Are surely oceans of it just outside these walls?" they thought.
"We should jump out of this place and join all those other fish."
Then they would hang, sleeping in the water,
Dreaming of playing with all the shining goldfish.
One afternoon while little sister and the cat were sitting together
On the living room couch,
The goldfish decided the time to act had come.
They swam as fast as they could,
Round and round the bowl until together they leaped clear in the air.
Many things happened at once.
The goldfish found out there were no
Other fish on the floor where they landed.
The cat rushed over from the couch and joyfully
Tasted one of the goldfish with the tip of his tongue.
Little sister, right behind the cat,
Scooped up a goldfish in each hand and held them gently
For a moment. Then she put them *plop* back into the bowl.
Everybody got their wishes that afternoon and
Nobody got in trouble, not even the goldfish.
But the cat always wondered if the other
Goldfish wouldn't have tasted just a little bit better.
Goldfish wouldn't have tasted just a little bit better.