at an exhibit of Orbicular Batfish in Shedd Aquarium
Riley Harrison
The tank was full of them.
On their side of the glass—
a vibrant school idly
circling, and on mine—
a parallel swarm of children.
I caught the eye of one fish
and tried with my mind
to will it toward me until
it slowly turned, approached
the glass, and we stared
at each other for several
moments. Startled,
it darted off with a sudden
burst of speed. Then paused,
looked back, saw me still
looking. It shuddered
and continued swimming.
It must have seen in me
some reflection of itself, I swear,
it must have seen to the center.
Riley Harrison is a senior at Northwestern studying theatre and creative writing with a poetry concentration. Raised in Colorado, she feels especially drawn to exploring the natural world through her writing.
