Frostbiting

Sailing in cold weather,
sharks trolled the provincial
reefs, enforcing a mandate 
of approved colors within the lines
and sanctioned
interspecies communication.
They believed they were disguised 
beneath the smooth skin and welcoming grin
of the dolphin, but

smaller fish are quick and quiet
gliding through dark, turbulent waves,
avoiding the gnashing teeth and bellows
of sharks in dolphin clothing.
They endured the frostbiting pressure,
learned to float in icy waters until
Up, up, up
they rose to where light was melting
the menace at last.

*

Frostbiting is a new to me word whose definition immediately made me think of the relentless clamp down on free speech in the last several years. (I do not support or condone blatant hate speech.)

Photo by Majkl Velner on Unsplash