Beetlebung and Kettlehole--April Poems

Carp

Carp

in front of you, Uncle,
by a stream in my old world,
the common carp danced
urging you to lift the rod
toward the gray sky

wary of the Ides of March,
the fish shuddered when held
and stared, accusatory,
while you took your time
to unhook and toss
into the torrent
that carp, surviving
luminous but useless

and you turned to me
with your eloquent smile
as you showed
without saying anything at all
to throw away the unfeasible
or the unforeseen, sudden pain,
petty hurts, petty griefs
thrashing like that fish.

Note—My uncle used to take me fishing during my childhood.


Prompt: carp or any kind of fish, fishing