LISA WILLIAMS

Brooding Eels

They are circling         circling    wanting a way to the sea
the urge to spawn comes       the urge to spawn goes

there is no way to swim to the sea         they are
circling        growing bigger        growing tremendous

they lift heads now huge out of water to smell
air          whether there will be a change

so they can swim to the sea          (a rock
slide blocks their way from the lake

to the sea)       they are circling for decades
their skin thickens       their eyes cloud       they are ready

the urge to spawn comes       the urge to spawn goes
they will die some day          they will never

die                              there is no way no way
to the sea          breeding is necessary     brooding

is what happens       will there be a chance a storm
or just this ache for distance another century?