Killing Time (and other Animals)
Reflections of lockdown
Sales of masks
and fishing licenses
go through the roof.
Overgrown tow paths
and riverside walks–
domain of dog walkers
and work-bound cyclists–
lined with statues
hunched over poles,
jiggling them in hope
at the slightest bob
of iridescent cork
and expanding circles.
© Guaj 2023
Views: 477
I dislike the title and find the first three lines not connected well enough with the rest of the poem. A promising poem
I chose this title because “Sunday driver anglers ” are not skilled and often kill the fish they catch by rough treatment with the hooks
Also where I live near a river for the past years I hardly ever saw people fishing but with covid suddenly there are many. Being cynical I guess it’s because the bars were closed during lockdown and fishing is a good excuse for men to get away from their wives 🙂 😉
I’m reading ‘other animals’ as the fish – though shouldn’t they be released again? That apart an interesting poem; thanks Guaj.
Dougie
Yes the fish are supposed to be put back but unskilled or occasional anglers lack the equipment and knowledge to safety remove hooks causing a slow painful death for the animals they catch
I gave up fishing long ago because I accepted I didn’t have the skills or the time to develop them
Also the regulars clean up behind themselves but the Sunday anglers often leave a mess
I wonder, Guaj, what women would do to get away from their husbands! I suspect, rather than seeking solitude, they prefer the company of other women over a cup of this or that. An artful write.
Good point
It’s true women don’t escape to the pub or go fishing
I’m a man but I have to admit women are a little more clever than us blokes 🙂
I once saw a woman much older maybe in her sixties, she was rich it was obvious, she was escorted by a young man very handsome very stylish, a gigolo I thought, maybe she was trying to get away from other women after getting away from a boring husband.
Didn’t you wonder who was using who?
(or is that an example of a win win situation?)
both but it was none of my business, they were both using each other the woman less successfully
None of my business is a term totally irrelevant thanks to Facebook and Twitter and of course CCTV
Husbands become boring when the women decide, and then they let them out to fish so they themselves can do a little fishing , and they are very careful; once tasted they throw them back whole just in case they want another nibble later on!
truer words were never spoken!!!!!!!
I still laugh when I see them try to cast! Fishermen and cyclists; an exponential growth. And I must say that most of the cyclists I see are not carrying rods, and most of the fishermen do not seem to have travelled by bike; two completely distinct hobbies.
Bikes where I live are a way of life but there are a lot more of them since 2020
Effortless electric ones add to the ever growing mix