Covetous fisherman drag in their weary nets,
Sorry, vile and forlorn; sacking the scornful sea.
Childish evil smiles steal as much as nature lets,
As bulging zealous fish flutter at this ambiguity.
Worn-out lesser heroes both of them, still competing,
Both coward-like thieves who grovel for their lives,
The frightened fish leap and fall and die, quivering,
In final protest they gasp for what air denies.
The valiant men, bent-shouldered, ever trumpeting,
Laugh and draw close their lifeless victory,
And rush to celebrate the promise of a new morning,
While doubts, in some hearts , arise from this misery.
For the taste of mortality, like bone, lies wedged in the throat.