(Love Song, With Two Goldfish)

“Among the Animals” by Chelsea Rathburn (2011)

American poet Chelsea Rathburn also considers the behavior of enclosed animals in this exploration of intimacy. Like “(love song, with two goldfish)”, this poem features the sexual and romantic behaviors of animals who live in enclosures.

While an omniscient narrator informs the reader in “(love poem, with two goldfish),” “Among the Animals” has a first-person speaker watching the lions in a Las Vegas hotel.

“I Could Be a Whale Shark” by Aimee Nezhukumatahil (2018)

In “I Could Be a Whale Shark,” acclaimed contemporary American poet Aimee Nezhukumatahil uses the motif of aquatic animals to explore interpersonal relationships and personal insecurities. “I Could Be a Whale Shark” is less wry and mournful than Chua’s poem. Instead, Nezhukumatathil’s poem radiates a contemplative lightness. The couple in the poem actually make it to the ocean, and their relationship succeeds because each recognize their partner as an individual.

“Sea Longing” by Sara Teasdale (1915)

Like Chua’s male goldfish, the speaker in American poet Sara Teasdale’s poem, “Sea Longing,” also views the sea as a source of happiness and relief. While Chua’s protagonist looks to the sea for adventure and change, Teasdale’s speaker seeks the “floating” (Line 1) and drifting feelings the male goldfish wishes to leave behind.