Went to a local pet store
part of a huge chain of stores across the US
to buy a betta fish
it was a sad sight to see
all the bettas in small plastic cups
not much bigger than a coffee cup
most were listless, a few
looked close to dying
it was as if they were in
mini plastic gulags
betta fish shouldn’t be kept
in small plastic cups
barely deeper than a few inches
it’s a sad sight to see
I bought a female betta fish
they’re not as popular as
the more beautiful males
that most people buy
but that is partly why I bought
a female betta
the other reason is they don’t
sell as well
thus, the females are kept
in those plastic gulags longer
and I suspect some are
never sold and die in them
to buy a betta fish is to liberate it
from what is akin to
a human having to live in the small
confines of a closet
it’s exhilarating to watch the betta
when it is put into a 5 gallon aquarium
and tastes the freedom of all the
open space
and swims around unimpeded by
its former mini plastic cell
exploring its new home
even inside the small cave ornament
bettas love those cave ornaments
like retreats for them
for me it’s was a high
seeing that fish freed
from the inhumane conditions
it was stuffed in at the pet store
as bettas are in pet stores
all over America
it’s a sad sight to see.
Bob Boyd