by Douglas Lanzo
Copyright 2022

First published in Founder’s Favourites, Issue 21 (December 2022)

Waved to jump aboard a fishing craft,
sprinting through white sand to aqua sea,
joyous smile bedecking sun-soaked face,
I climbed ladder with gear, then sat to lee.

Tipping my cap to greet Captain and crew,
we broke the ice exchanging fishing tales,
each catch growing in size and rarity  —
from fish to sharks to everything but whales.

I shared a story true as sea is deep..
of reeling in a grouper in Key West,
whose tail was sheared just meters from our boat,
by thrashing bull shark causing waves to crest.

That day was filled with laughter and content
no matter what the content of our catch,
just grateful that the barracudas’ teeth
did not, when hooks removed, our fingers latch.

From porpoises to turtles surfacing,
our faces sprayed with joy of creatures seen,
we reveled in the beauty of nature —
from squid to mantas in deep purpled sheen.

Then plunging in we snorkeled reefs at sea
where angelfish and schools of damsels play,
their brilliant hues of yellow, blue and green,
enhancing reefs of coral in their displays.

Armed with a hook our Captain searched the lairs
of coral for spiny lobsters hid within;
one speared, he surfaced from the teeming reef,
and laid it on the deck with a wide grin.

With fresh steamed lobster buttering our thoughts,
we headed back toward shore as sun did set,
the magic of the day soon captured in…
the melting of a tangerine sunset.