Poem 407

A central childhood memory … I love how the sunrise over the sea is expressed through the flounder turning its underside … the detail and flow here is adroit … and scads is a great word …

Catching The Sun

The first time I saw the sun come
up over the horizon
was on the beach at Westshore
waiting chilled while the rowboat
with my grandfather went out
stroke by stroke
the line sliding over the stern
its end tight under my foot in the sand
then the net a dark tumbling mass
into the water in before-morning light
and my grandfather turns away
pulling hard on one oar
arcing round until all the weighted net
is out then back into the beach
dinghy carried forward under a wave
to land a hundred yards away
from where we grip our line
holding in half an acre of sea grey
opaque and heavy to draw out
water falling from our hands on the
soaking rope red scraps of ribbon
the ten-yard marks hanging limp
then the net glimpsed
a dash into the shallows to drag it out
poles scraping hurried black gashes
on the sand
                         first sight of the catch
amongst weed amongst crabs
and small puffer fish wriggling
and rolling free
                               scads
of sleek dark sole
                                   and a shout
as a flounder flips
flashing its sunrise
yellow belly