The Perch Poem by Jojoba Mansell

Haunting the submerged roots
Hump-backed, she hangs
She waits, she watches

In the dazzling light
Cast in silver, the fry play
Chase water boatmen
Emboldened in the blinding light of day

Her dorsal, pin-sharp, rises
Just as the sun starts to set
Dazzling, blinding light fades
Now she stirs, hungers, prepares
Boldness drains from the fry
Slips away with the sun's rays
They shoal, they flit, they fear

In an instant she is amongst them
Blood fins, striped flanks
Broad back and gaping maw

Moonlight illuminates her
Passing through a cloud of scales
Cruising into the roots
Satiated, for now
She drifts, and waits again
Hump-backed, haunting
Solitary in the submerged roots