The Fish

I caught a tremendous fish
and held him beside the boat
half out of water,
his gills were opening like
a suitcase and he weighed
a hundred pounds.
And I thought of the heavenly
fish
that had swum onward,
leaving me just this one
it was enough to appeal
to my mind and I wondered
if I would let him go,
if I could be safely back in love,
look trending to find
a description to make him whole.
Just as the light turned
i let him go,
so many dreams
turn without our even knowing.

• Mary Oliver