The Prize Undone

Ignoble afternoon–
A beautiful day full
Of Unproductive adventure
A morning of attempts
Seen successful by
Others all around us
Empty handed we returned
To the road in search of
Vivacious waters
One last stop at
At the end of our journey–
–A great discovery
This riverbed full
Of our treasures
Great swimmers in abundance
And then great luck
A catch, a beauty
Long and strong, shimmering
With its rainbow skin
A triumph for the picture book
–Alas, against the rules
We had taken what we can’t keep
But greed made for bad decisions
And before I had enlightenment
The light went out of its eyes
There was death in the water
A waste of a noble creature
Now fish food — We must listen
To our children, their
Natural moral instincts
Are better than our
Ignoble age.