the fish monger

I could bring you back
some fish, he says, maybe some tuna,
i'll sell them
to you cheap. my buddy's got a boat
and we're going out today.
you like tuna, don't you?
sure, I tell him, but I think
I already have three or four
little cans stack
in the cupboard. green with Charlie
on the side.
oh no, he says, there's nothing
like fresh tuna
caught right out of the ocean.
he's been drinking a little,
and continues
with his selling of the fish
he may or may not catch.
you don't like fish?
fish is brain food, it's good
for you. it makes you
more healthy and smarter.
okay, okay, I say, as I listen
to the exhaust and pop of another
can of beer on his end.
who doesn't want to be smarter.
i'll take one large tuna
if you catch any, but with
the head cut off and fileted
into nice steak sized portions.
how about two, he says. two tunas,
wrapped in newspaper, you do
the cutting?
sure. sure. okay,
bring me the stinking fish.