The Fish in the Deep Lake
run their mouths
over rocks again,
take many forms
of flesh,
dart among
the wild celery
and driftwood—
And we the people
do not see them;
we do not acknowledge
they’re alive.
As we turn
from this side of the lake
toward the other,
they’re all the same
making a difference
in their own world.
Though we can’t see them
in their camouflage,
a life-filled world
exists beyond ours—
Ahrend Torrey is the author of This Moment (Pinyon Publishing, 2024). His work has appeared in Denver Quarterly; Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature; storySouth; The Greensboro Review; The Westchester Review; Welter; and West Trade Review, among others. He’s currently working on a new collection of poems titled Running Among the Trees—New & Selected Poems. He lives in Chicago with his husband, Jonathan, and enjoys exploring the nearby forests and dunes. Read more of his poetry at https://ahrendtorreypoetry.wixsite.com/website
Amethyst Review 