The Sixth Great Mass

by James Sands

fish river, fish
flow by the night train
sirens wail
the river’s dead,
the river’s dead
yet you prevail

fish river, fish
the ice is gone
and the water flows
pass the time,
pass the time
in dead minnows

fish river, fish
a muddy shore
and a fire burns
bait your hook,
bait your hook
as the world turns

fish river, fish
no time to stop
no time to think
waiting in line,
waiting in line
on the brink

*Photo credit: Steve Huntington, Unsplash