Fishin’
Copyright 2005 Linda Ellis

It was just me and him
in one of my fondest memories,
driving to a favorite fishin’ spot
deep in the Florida keys.

The sun’s rays cast golden hues
on the old dock where we stood,
where the wood smelled like fish
and the fish smelled like wood.

 He held my hand as we walked
past the rocks, near the ledge
where I eagerly found a sunny spot
and sat down on the edge.

I kicked my legs out back and forth.
My dirty feet matched my knees.
And I still remember the aroma
of that warm salt water breeze.

I frowned as I reached into the bucket
to select a worthy worm…
and said, “daddy, can you hook him --
I don’t like the way they squirm.”

And like a seamstress threads a needle,
his calloused hands hooked my bait
and he said, as he knotted a silver ball,
“…needs just a little more weight.”

As he handed me the fishing pole,
he looked down at me and smiled
as though this was some right of passage
for me, his youngest child.  

The dark water made perfect circles
around the bobber that I’d cast
but just like the hours from that day,
they disappeared too fast.

Now and then he’d check my progress
and with a confident smirk,
he would watch the bobber dip
and tell me, “give her a little jerk.”

When I finally took my eyes away
from the orange and white striped ball,
I watched as he strolled by “daily catches”
like a shopper in a mall.

“They bitin’ today? “Caught anything big?”
His strong voice would inquire,
as he stopped to help a brother fisherman
free his line from muck and mire.

He would glance into their coolers
at the fish they’d chosen to keep,
knowing well they’d placed the small ones
on the bottom of the heap.

In my mind, I still see him there,
a strong silhouette through the haze
standing with both hands in his pockets
…into the ocean, he would gaze.

To me, he was a hero,
so strong, sincere and kind...
the best friend that I ever had;
everything I loved…combined.

Someday I’ll see him once again
and if Heaven is what I’m wishin’,
my father will greet me, pole in hand,
and say, “sweetheart, let’s go fishin’.”

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