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George Lewis Avery

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there s a big fish in this pond
i know cuz i ve seen it s shadow
passing beneath
with nary a ripple
to scar the marbled surface

i sit here with my can of worms
fishing pole and leaden bobber
and i wait and watch
from the crows nest
like ahab i am possessed

there s other life in this puddle
critters that feed off one another
they ve snapping jaws
and sucking parts
and gills that frown on air

i ve lost a toe to carelessness
when i dangled it in the water
t was either a piranha
else a baracuda anyhoo
that piggy won t be coming home

and still i bring my can of worms
fishing pole and leaden bobber
and i wait and watch for
that big fin to show so
i can arise and shout 'thar she blows'

she s a reclusive beast this big fish
like nessie she s rarely seen
and even then
only when she feeds
and so then who would know

and him who survives is eternal thankful
the gods have chosen to intervene
albeit known
you ain t the same
once you ve passed thru the belly of the beast

so flop about you big fish
froth us up some foam
i m eager
to know
is the bigger fish at home

i brave wind and weather
i brave flood and drought
deerfly mosquito
dog tick and chigger
suffer me little i suffer you bigger

there s a big fish in this pond
i know cuz i ve seen her shadow
passing beneath
with nary a ripple
to scar the marbled surface

i sit here with my can of worms
fishing pole and leaden bobber
and i wait and watch
from the crows nest
like ahab i am possessed

i sit way back from the water
cuz i m shy shy of
being seen or fallin in
of gettin my toes bit
but mainly shy of gettin eaten

i ain t gunna be one of them other fish
forgotten ones who cannot be found
within the perimeter
of this puddle
however hard we search

cuz there s a big fish in this pond
resting quietly in the deep
she s known to bite thru surfin boards
and killer whales and manatee
and that s why i can t sleep

i ll just hang along the fringes
and watch the dolphins play
and delight to hear
their frightened cries
when hunger commands she sound

.oeg ©