By Jules Phan
The fish are dying.
Clusters of protruding bellies
glistening in the harsh sunlight;
pale stripes tessellating the cold coastline
like tuna packed in a well-expired can –
oozing with rottenness.
The fish are still dying.
The fishermen know;
the conmen know;
the government knows;
yet after detailed research
from the country’s most elite,
“Nothing was found to have
poisoned the fish.”
The fish continue to die;
it was reported
that
mere apologies and empty promises
were brought forward by the company at fault;
no further reports were made.
The fish are left to die;
their tears
reflected in every Vietnamese’s
fish sauce.