Oh the great sea

How it rocks to and fro

Carrying its children

Up above and deep below

They are all loved, by the ocean

held in its embrace

Even I, a small fish

Inconsequential, basks in its gaze

I came from somewhere else

A goldfish in a bowl

Dumped into the water

And the sea swallowed me whole

Yet instead of inky dark

Light flooded my eyes

The lift of the currents

Warm water on either side

I was not cold, I was not scared

And I was not once alone

For the sea was there with me

And I was always home

I met the other children

Great and small alike

They taught me how to swim

And the good places to hide

And all of the time

Unceasing in support

The ocean was there with us

like a boat in a port

Mr Taylor is not the sea

He is human, like you and me.

Yet, can you not see

How good he has been to me?

I was new, I was fresh,

It was hardly a contest

As to which student

The bullies liked best

But his classroom was a cave

safe and warm

To hide from the cold waters

an eye in a storm.

And yet, despite his lack of water

no currents or coral,

He still reminds me of the sea

For that there is no quarrel.

And I, the small fish

Grew every day

So when the next small fish came

I could help them too, and I would say:

‘Hello friend, hello friend!

Do not be afraid!

For the ocean will help you,

And I, its aid.

Here you will find safety

Here you will find friends

The ocean is with you

Until the very end!”

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