I love fishing hard Through hours Starting early To see a whole tide The casting into the wind The two foot chop The hard won fish
Today none came to hand but I saw a wall of fog come over me with the wind And the mountains across the bay only showed themselves once the water had passed
The bite was sparse and cautious Except the one who bit my lure clean off And the second one who took the shiny shrimp
Walking back uphill, a mile or more With a good friend to drive home with And the promise of a warm shower
I love the overcast days The grey of the sky and the grey of the sound The beds of oysters Cobbly stones
Trees in the water Bowing to their fate And washing out past the current like a river against the shore
The jingle of a dog's collar The wet of my jacket My fingers pruning up My hat's brim blowing around
Then the slack came and the waves were lessened and there was one last bite before we were done
Windburnt and sore The body feels the tired deep into the bones The heat coming back from the shower The heavy sleepiness comes with the warm air
The memory stays The green mountains The tall firs The Kingfisher's chatter The incoming tide
Until the dreams come....