Safeway has Fish

i used to fish.

i used to take my son fishing.

i had the whole

thing

going on,

a tackle box,

a knife,

rods and reels, 

sinkers and bobbers,

hooks

and lines.

blood worms in a box.

for hours

i'd stand at the shoreline

and cast

out over and over again,

until a big fat

catfish or carp, or God forbid

an eel

would take a bite.

and then it hit me.

i don't like fishing.

i don't like cutting up worms

or taking

the hook out of

frenetic fish's mouth.

my shoes would be soggy,

i'd be sunburned and

hungry.

i felt bad for the fish too,

so easily

tricked into biting down

on what they

thought was fish food.