Sometimes the fish
Sometimes the fisherman
But always this
One swims about
The other casts
And only then
When temptation lands
Alights and skitters
Do we become
That which we
Are meant to
To each other
One the promise
One the catch
And so goes
Fisherman and fish
And like a woodsman
Walking through a grove
Of towering maple trees
As I pass each
I stop to touch
Maple trees like friends
Are not my path
But show me it
They are where I
Go when I’m weary
And they shelter me
Always behind sometimes ahead
But wherever they are
I couldn’t be there
Anywhere really without them
Sometimes I feel like a
Present regifted having been
Given once to one
Only to be evaluated
Reboxed and eventually stored
As a kind of
A commodity to be
Offered and then proffered
To get the first
Out of an uncomfortable
Jam here take this
Someone else thought maybe
But no and now
Maybe so for you
Now I know how
That gravy boat felt
There is a point
Of perfection when even
The ocean is balanced
A moment when both
Of the tides strike
Stillness when even the
Seas sleep this is
Contentment when movement stops
It’s the second when
Desire meets happiness like
When two lovers kiss
I abdicated my freedom
In lieu of security
I survived under another’s
Rules turning over authority
To a third party
Because it seemed easier
But I finally discovered
That is not living
I finally broke free
Now on the other
Side of the wall
The sun burns brighter
The moon glows quieter
And my imagination can
Finally rest no longer
Needed to simply survive
Isn’t simple life grand
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 