Fishy tales

Day 18:'write a poem in which the speaker expresses the desire to be someone or something else, and explains why. Two possible models for you: Natasha Rao’s “In my next life let me be a tomato,” and Randall Jarrell’s “The Woman at the Washington Zoo.”'

My choice may have been due to me deciding to compose it during my Thursday morning swim!

In my next life I would wish, to come back as some kind of fish,
To swim in river, lake or sea, that's the life I'd wish for me. 
Perhaps a roach with orange fins, that glitters as it darts and swims,
But not a tench, even in its prime, I'd rather not be bathed in slime.
A brown trout in a Scottish river,  or its rainbow cousin all a-shiver,
Perhaps a koi carp from Japan, white and gold, my tail a fan.
To come back as a common pike, now that's a fate I would not like,
Always angry,  with no friends, that's not how my story ends. 
The best choice by far, I believe, is to live in a coral reef, 
Brightly coloured, safe in a shoal, that would be a splendid goal. 
Meantime I enjoy my weekly swims, without gills, without fins,
And dream of swimming all day long, my life so simple, body strong.

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