Trapped In A Goldfish Bowl

Glass light hurts my eyes,
is harsh on the skin.
You would never know that once
I was young too. My full flesh
glistened in the lambent light,
I played hide and seek in the coral,
rode side-saddle on sea horses, or flirted
with ocean princes.

Now, starved of the salt waves’ nourishment,
I am aged and shrivelled,
My withered breasts are subject
to titillated stares, mocking me as myth
or the figment of discredited imaginings.
I couldn’t be more of a fish out of water
if I tried. Can’t you put me away
in a cupboard somewhere?
Allow me to be forgotten?