Fishing
by Wilda Morris

I can only imagine what it’s like
to go fly fishing, wading boots feeling out
a river bed, cool water coursing
over stones, sun beginning to fade.

But I have watched a heron tip-toe
through wetland ponds, suddenly dip
sharp beak into its own rippling reflection,
and rise with a glistening meal.

I have seen an egret’s white wings
soar the sky like sails before floating down
to the shallows where it snacked on dragonflies
while awaiting a bigger meal.

I have watched gaggles of geese skid
onto the water, ignore marine vertebrates
and cattails, dive below the surface
to graze on aquatic plants as fish glide by.

I have seen a double-crested cormorant’s head
rise, snake-like, from the lake,
then disappear beneath the waves
until its needs were satisfied.

Once, at camp, I stood on a wooden dock,
cast a worm-baited line into Spring Lake,
and pulled in a catfish. I was proud
and serene as a fly-fisherman.

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