Gone Fishin'

I let a man

Take me fishin’

One time,

And we both

Dropped our lines

Into dark waters.

His bobber jerked

A couple of times,

And he came

Out with a slippery shad.

Mine never moved.

I didn’t come

Out with anything

But a soakin’ wet worm.

Is that fair?

But he didn’t let me fish

Like I like to.

He didn’t think

I should dangle my line

The way I do

When I usually come

Fishin’.

He didn’t think

I should talk to ‘em

The way I like to talk

To ‘em.

So after he dropped me off

Back home,

I ambled back down

To the fishin’ hole

By myself,

And I did what I needed to do.

And I came

Out with a whole passle of perch,

Several shad,

And so many silvery delights

That I couldn’t count ‘em all!

So, if you ever take me fishin’,

Will you let me cast the line

Just so,

And will you let me talk to ‘em

The way I need to talk to ‘em,

And do what I need to do?

I hope you will.

-jenn long