Mike "Pops" Klumpp

i had a crush on you
and still
in dreams
you speak to me

tonight
we stood in a shallow pond
catching goldfish with chopsticks
and releasing them
with laughter

the water was crystal clear
each stone so perfect
fed by a slow drifting waterfall
softly sifting over stones
the stream disappeared behind me

each fish happy to be caught
in our swift gentle grasp
as we grabbed with stick
and released
unharmed
their tiny dreams
bubbling in their breath
as they sucked at the surface 
of their world

laughing and laughing
before it was gone-