The love of a fish

There are some loves that are doomed from the very beginning. Because one is born in water, the other in the sky. One feels more deeply the further it sinks; the other forgets the higher it flies. And that’s why the fish falling in love with the bird is not just a fable; it is the very essence of truth. It is the story of loving, of dying for love, of expecting something in return, and ultimately falling into emptiness.

A fish falls in love with a bird. What a powerful sentence that is. The fish, raised in the deep waters, acquainted with silence, a companion to darkness. It loves with its heart. It connects with a love so real, it could cry even in water. The bird, however, was born into the freedom of the skies. It looks down on everything, on life, on love, on sorrow. Perhaps it never perches anywhere for too long. It loves the wind but cannot grow roots. And so, it does not understand the fish’s love.

“I may love you,” says the bird, “but where would our home be? Where would we live this love? In the air? In the water? I cannot live in the sea.”

The fish replies, “I want you on land, in the air, anywhere; I am dying of love for you,” and emerges from the water. It gives its life in a moment for love. What is lost? Life. But what is gained? Love. The fish is blind enough not to see it is dying; the bird is ungrateful enough not to recognise it’s being loved. The fish, willing to die for the one it loves; the bird, cruel enough to kill what loves it. The lover is in love with death. And the beloved? The very embodiment of death itself.

Yet what happens in the end?

The bird does not understand the value. It watches the love the fish would die for from eye level. It does not understand, or worse, it chooses not to. The one who is loved is often blind because they’re used to being adored. To them, taking a step forward or making a sacrifice is unnecessary. But the one who loves, they are the one who jumps into the abyss with closed eyes. The fish loves this way. Knowing it will suffocate, it still leaves the water. It chooses to run out of breath but never out of love. Because it knows, sometimes, love is death. And sometimes, it’s a rebirth.

Love isn’t always shared between two. Sometimes, only one person loves, while the other merely exists. And that is when it hurts the most. Like a fish without water, the lover is left breathless. But still, they cannot let go. Because those who love are nourished by hope. That maybe one day, they will be understood. Maybe one day, the bird will come down. Maybe one day, its heart will soften.

How tragic it is that some birds remain alone even in their own sky, yet still refuse to welcome what comes to them. But love is a journey taken by two. If one refuses to take a step, the other gets tired of walking. And the one who gets tired is always the one who loves. Always the one who knows how to live in water but dares to step onto land, gasping, but still breathing through the heart.

The bird never knows what it lost. Because the one who dies is always seen. But the true loser is the one who never valued what it had. The fish loved while dying; the bird lost while living. For those who are loved but stay silent, who look away, who pretend not to see, they are the architects of their own loneliness.

The greatest tragedy in love is when two people don’t love with the same depth at the same time. One looks to the sky, while the other dives into the deep. One struggles to forget, while the other lives to remember. And sometimes, to die for love is more honourable than to live being forgotten.

The story ends, but the truth endures. This is not just the story of a fish and a bird; it is the story of countless lovers across time, with different names but the same ache. Every selfless heart gone unnoticed, every love left unanswered. Every drowned fish was once a heart that looked into someone’s eyes and whispered, “You.” And every indifferent bird will one day lift its head to the sky and realise it has lost a star it can never see again.

Because love is such a thing… if you don’t cherish it while it’s there, only silence will remain, and in that silence, no fish, no words.

With Love and Respect,

Burak Anaturk.

Burak Anaturk is a professional civil engineer. He focuses on sharing lessons from his life experiences, exploring diverse perspectives, and discussing personal development topics.
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