A Measure of Our Prosperity

Even though our income
Was generally stable,
It always seemed that we
Were on an economic seesaw,
Bouncing between feast
And famine.
There was always one
Failsafe measure
Of our family’s prosperity,
And that was by
The fish in the aquarium.
When times were good,
The aquarium would be
Fully stocked
With a wide variety
Of freshwater fish
And it would always appear
Freshly cleaned,
Clear and bright,
And dynamic with
Lively moving colors.
When money were tight,
We would scale back
On restocking the aquarium,
And eventually
The survivors
Would begin to look
Pretty pathetic.
It was always something of
A cause for celebration
When the tank was revitalized
And again full of life.