by Kayleigh White |
when i was little
i went to the aquarium with my dad
i remember walking through blue tanks of fishes
arrays of colours gliding through the water
my dad would lift me up to look at the jellyfish
and i would giggle at their wiggly legs
dancing in the deep abyss
i would gaze at all the seahorses
and smile at their little curly tails
the light would reflect the patterns of the sea onto my shoes
as i walked through the tunnel holding my dads hand
looking at the sharks floating above me
but my favourite room of all
was the open sting ray tank
gliding through the water
i would wonder what they felt like
but i was too small to reach
and the signs said ‘please do not touch the rays’
but my dad, my hero
would always put his hand in the water
and the rays would race over
and my dad would pet the rays
i beamed with delight every time i watched
and my dad would smile down at me and say “what wonderful creatures”
i still dream about what the rays would feel like
but more than anything
i remember the roughness of my dad’s big hand holding mine
