The Ditch Fish
We are staying on Ditch (or Canal) Way, Via del Fosso. A ditch, maybe 8 or 10 feet wide, runs down the middle of the street; as ditches go, it’s not bad. Its walls are made of brick. The walls rise above street level and are capped with concrete. You can sit on the walls very comfortably. Wild flowers have sprouted on the walls above the waterline.
The water is shallow, maybe a foot deep. The water in the ditch has a current. When you look down in the water the first thing you notice is long strands of seaweed stretched out and waving in the current. After that, depending on where you are looking, you might notice some trash caught in the current or you might notice the fish. There are lots of fish swimming in the shallow water, They all look pretty similar, varying mostly in size. Some look pretty big; I don’t know, as a vegetarian, I don’t often find myself nose to nose with a fish. Here’s the thing is about these fish: they are all swimming upstream and none of them is making any progress. What are they thinking? Also, if I were a bird, I’d be making my living along Via Del Fosso. Even I could catch these fish. Maybe they taste just awful, even to a bird. Italy is a great mystery.
Powered by Qumana
