fish in the sea

Do I swim up to the dangling hook,
to the tree that gives knowledge
of both evil and good?
Do I long for a taste of the glittering bait,
for the serpent to tell me it's alright?

When you pull me out of the water,
do I lay limp in your hands,
obedient to your hungry demands?
Or do I gasp for liquid breath
and make a slippery escape from death?

Do I secretly hope I would make a good meal-
rather perish than live
and not know how it feels?
There are plenty of other fish in the sea.
I muse to myself, "then why not me?"