Tides Don’t Move if There Isn’t a Moon to Sway Them

By Alyson Tait

I breathe faux oxygen, eat plant-based fish, and swim in a weightless aquarium.
I survive.
Much like a lonely dolphin performing tricks in a pool.
When captivity threatens my ability to keep my eyes open, I settle back and watch the universe travel across the window of my tank.
Planets swirl in the darkness with water, grass, and funny little moons. My tank has no moons. It has no orbit.
Only lasers.
For safety.
Sunlight travels across the planets, and I imagine living under clouds instead of heat lamps.
When that threatens my will to breathe – I swim back underwater.

––––––––––
“I write to get the voices out of my head, and maybe spook someone along the way.” – the writer