SHALLOW

Just last week we were discussing the best places to fish.

One guy said that the best place was at the bottom of a waterfall - - - where the pool of water is aerated and cool.

Another fellow said that it was next to a rock ledge were the trout could hide and wait for their next meal to come floating by.

Yet another Izaak Walton said it would be in an eddy where the water whirled round-and-round so that if the fish missed his meal the first time round it surely would come back.

That is where Jim McFee stepped into the conversation.

Jim asked "How many of you have ever had a day where you didn't catch a fish?"

We all nodded - - - somewhat embarrassed.

And then he asked "How many of you were disappointed in your day just because you didn't catch a fish?"

We all were in agreement again; none of us were disappointed in a day of fish-less-ness.

"See what I mean?" continued Jim.  "Fishing is not always about fish. Most of the time it is about enjoying nature."

We, once again, all nodded, enthusiastically, in agreement.

"So sometimes the best place to fish is the most pleasant place" opined Jim.

And then he asked me if I had the book with the red cover.

I told him it was in the railroad station with the ticket master.

Jim trotted over to the station and returned with the book.

He opened it to this page.

He read the poem for us - - - many of us are illiterate - - - and then passed it around so that we could see the picture.

Jim is correct. I could easily lay my fishing pole against an alder bush just to sit and watch what goes on around the shallows.

 

©W. Tomosky♠