Or

A Wet Triquetrous Triptych

[Canto one]

I bought a one-gallon tank

for a pair of guppies alive.

The tank was on the window shank

And the two guppies turned into five.

The plants didn’t do well.

So I bought a six-gallon tank

With lighting and heating, in which to dwell.

I put it in a downstairs room, to be frank.

Suddenly, the guppies increased!

I think thirty or more were seen.

The plants I added were a messy feast.

so catfish, to keep the bottom clean

Now what?

When I was young,

I solved the problem but

From age a problem sprung.

Flushing some dull fish

down the toilet seemed easy then.

Now, my over-ripe ethics began to swish

saying this is “wrong” to do again.

Is this how a god feels?

[canto two]

Once the tank was new,

a clear and cleanly brew.

The plants open to the light

and two guppies swimming bright.

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum rhum-dum-dumm

Time passes, plants then fight

For light in their plight!

Many guppies wisely slither

 through that forest dither.

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum rhum-dum-dumm

Green algae darkly grows on

 the side of the forgone.

Snails too, infest the tank.

Myself, I have to thank!

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum rhum-dum-dumm

How do I control

that frenzy inside this bowl?

Pull out some lovely plants

Crush those snails and implant,

a pair of hungry angelfish! 

 Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum

Titdi rhum rhum-dum-dumm

[canto three]

My original guppy pair is gone

but some offspring survive them still.

Two large assertive angelfish

meet me as I walk into the room.

Do they pay homage…

Or curse me for being late?

Once the room was empty

of life…of need…of strain.

Is there a lesson here

or merely idle whims and random movement?