no fish today

i think about fishing

for a minute or two,

gazing out at a field of watery

blue,

but

i leave it at that.

worms, the line, the reel,

the hook

the sinkers.

standing on the side of

a river bank

casting out

and waiting for a fish

to bite.

swatting flies away,

hungry mosquitoes.

and what if he does strike,

then what?

dragging him in as

the hook digs further

into it's mouth.

the curved steel,

wedged between

the hardened rim

of it's lips.

his eyes looking into

mine as i pull him up

to get the measure of him.

hardly a snack, let alone

a meal.

his breathing

frantic, his little heart

behind those

gills and glistening scales,

beating like a rabbit.

no fish today, i couldn't

live with myself.