Cold Snapped

A carp stagnant under thick sheets of ice,
captured in a slice of time,
waits for the next moment.
Unsure of how or when said moment will arrive,
the fish remains patient.

Accompanied only by the subtle vibrations
of a penguin belly-soaring along the ceiling,
the carp imagines what the sun may look like
uncensored by the overbearing translucent mass above.

"I'd like to ask the penguin
how it looks,
but my lips have been frozen for so long
I'm not sure I would even remember
how to move them if I could,
and my thoughts aren't loud enough
to penetrate the surface."