The Fisherman

True story.

I kept falling off my board
Into the cold, foamy surf

Getting up and trying again
Getting up and trying again
Getting up
And trying again

When he noticed me and walked over.

“Looks like you’re having a good time” he said.

He was an interesting looking character,
No more than five six
Longer, scruffed up, wavy hair,
A neat mustache and goatee that stretched into his sideburns
And a necklace with a tiny little silver sun
With a ruby in the middle
That shone brighter than what held it,
Which hung over his beer belly
And camo green shorts.

I told him I just started skim boarding, and I wasn’t very good
When he joked that it was only his second week of fishing.

“Takes time man” he said with a smile.

We sat in the sand and talked about
Life,
Love,
Loss,
And everything in-between
For what felt like an eternity.

He hadn’t had much of a successful life,
In a conventional sense,
But he said it was the little things
Like living on the water,
Like fishing,
Like working at the docks,
That made him happy,
And that he didn’t need any of that “other s**t.”

He must’ve been a little over forty, but he didn’t say.

After a good twenty minutes, he got up,
Claiming this spot wasn’t any good anymore
And that it was time to move.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget his outlook on life,
Or that necklace. 

Reviews

[Daniel Gardner]

Nice work. I like the fact that you were able to tell a full story in poem form without making it seem forced or overwhelming. Nice work.

[alesuriko]

This poem is so real and vivid. I love it! The description is perfect, creating excellent imagery of waves, beach and this man. That sounds like a really curious necklace. I especially love the repetition of "Getting up and trying again" over and over... it's displays so much frustration and how tiresome the act really is. This encounter is so real and honest... truly a great job at expressing a good aspect of humans and how they meet, and connect, and learn from each other. Well done.

[Dutch Jr.]

Wisdom. You can learn a lot from the guys who haved already lived the brunt of their lives. Nice poem.