summer rains were like a noisy dream, violent but fleeting When the rain let up, we would try to catch fish in the canals. Occasional we would come to puddles filled with thau dau fish -- a kind of fish only two fingers wide with a long body, white scales and a fish belly that women would bring home to cook with pickled mustard green and tomatoes. We might be able to catch a whole basketful of these And you, have you ever caught any fish? If not, you should try it once No so that you can hold in your hand a scaly animal in the same taxonomic class as the frog, having cold blood and gills -- as pointed out in biology lessons of the sixth grade --- not any of that. Rather, to experience the indescribable joy.