I had a fish once
who played
dead
until the day he
died.

He would float
upside down
at the top
of his bowl,
motionless,
fooling everyone
into believing
his breathing had
stopped.

My friends would visit
and witness this spectacle.

They would inform me
of my fish’s passing
and I would fill them in
on his well rehearsed joke.

He could do this
in such a convincing manner,
that there were even times
I almost believed it
myself.

There have been instances
in my own life
where I
could have been
or
should have been
dead,
but I was only playing
with a fragile toughness.
An inside joke
no one was allowed
in on.

I wasn’t as clever
as my fish though.
He could die
and come back
to life
on a daily
basis.

My fish had talent
and he was sure
to be remembered
and revered
on the day
of his death.

And then one day
my fish did
indeed die
and I didn’t believe it.

I found him
floating upside down
in his bowl,
motionless,
and his breathing
had stopped.

He had fooled me
one last time
and for once
the joke
wasn’t
funny.