If a poet's metaphors are taken literally, no end of damage can be done to what he or she intends. This has been done, in an especially cruel and crude manner, to Emily Dickinson's poetry in recent times. I would hate to have the tropes in my own poetry subjected to such literal-minded scrutiny.

As for fish glue, here is a helpful link:

http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v19/bp19-29.html

In my own wretched youth, I could not stop myself from tasting schoolroom mucilage (now almost impossible to find, alas), despite having been warned that it was made from the rendered-down hooves of horses, cows, and mules. And, for that matter, I even now get a taste of Elmer's when I bite the dried-out end off the bottle's spout. I would not, however, recommend that anyone try the experiment with Crazy Glue.

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