Fiat Camena

Did anyone tell you
that in each subway train
there is one special seat
with a small hole in it
and underneath the seat
is a tank of piranha-fish
which have not been fed
for quite some time.
The fish become quite agitated
by the shoogling of the train
and jump up through the seat.
The resulting skeletons
of unlucky passengers
turn an honest penny
for the transport executive,
hanging far and wide
in medical schools.

– Edwin Morgan

Postscript:

I love this poem for so many reasons – that it’s set in the subway, which I love travelling in, that it whimsically drags in piranhas – piranhas! – into it, and that it makes you wonder exactly *where* all those skeletons in the display cases come from.
Here’s some biographical information on Edwin Morgan. I’ve read a couple of other poems of his which I loved, and I’m going to run those soon-ly. This reminded me of Shel Silverstein’s poem about someone eating the baby – read it here.

Tagged: dark humor, Edwin Morgan, humorous poems, medicine, subway