he decided to go fishing in his good clothes
his happiest, snappiest, favorite outfit too
why he would not listen, no one knows
maybe because he is a young pup of twenty-two
What if you snag a twenty-pound catfish I asked him
He thought this was hilarious, this novice fishing man, Jim
I am serious, I said, it could happen on the lake where we’ll be
That catfish dragged him out of the boat; would he see twenty-three?
Catfish lies in mud.
He slithers through slimy swamp.
Ah! Breakfast is here!
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glistening river
catfish makes a giant splash
silent cattails
Catfish and Jack
Here a lot. Oh, there a little. Every where there is some catfish. Here a little. Oh, there a lot, is a jack being played by that catfish.
Jack, not again. Dude, you're such a fool. You really lack understanding.
Oh, here a rub. Oh, there a tug. He dances at their request. Oh here a tug. Oh there a rub. He jumps at their distress. Jack, he is simply a catfish marionette.
Dude not again. Jack your such a fool. You really do lack discernment.
Here a lot, oh there a little is always some kind of jack and some kind of catfish. Oh here a little, Oh there a lot, is that someone like Jack being played by that some kind of catfish.
I am a freshwater fish
Some of my kin have grown to ten feet
I am shrimpy compared to them
I stopped growing at six feet
I live in a place with lots of dinner
A lake that attracts worms, frogs, and rodents
Sometimes I get a duck
A duck tastes delightful!
I look fierce
With those two evil pretend canines hanging from my mouth
I am docile though
Unless you look like food
I am a catfish after all
a foul-mouthed catfish splashed me in the face
the water I swallowed was foul, smelled like fish
I was annoyed at the beast, wanted to kill it
it is God’s creature, give it some grace!
This was said to me by my neighbor Ms. Swish.
Who felt differently after her finger it bit.
river catfish is startled by a splash
he dives down into the lake
hitting the natural springs
unaware he made this loud noise
with his enormous flipper of a tail
To love, to joy, to that verdant spring day
To catfish, Ruth, Penny and Tennessee
And even the monster that got away
You have always been there to comfort me
You've been there with me–for eternity
Cold rocks and smooth pebbles litter the shore
Gurgling along with me 'ever I go
From dawn to the swinging of my back door
You watched a carefree boy running wild–grow
Now stands an old man just watching time flow
From black tubes floating in summer time glee
To rod and line bent in thrilling tough fight
To skates flying on ice forever free
Even now you're in me holding me tight
Babbling in words through my window tonight
One moment I lay stretched out beside you
Wind tickling fresh daisies and waving rye
The sun so warm under oceans of blue
Downy clouds you slowly drifted goodbye
I didn't know then–I'd hold on 'til I die
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Sponsored by: Emile Pinet
12-4-2022
The wild catfish were biting and flailing and fighting
Yes, in this marvelous river in every way so exciting!
They were savvy and thrilled to escape from the hooks.
More time to pose for National Geographic’s picture books.
We tried to wait them out, thinking we could get them in the dark.
There was a loud splash, and someone yelled “hark!”
Old fisherman Joe said, “It is the king of the catfish for sure!”
We might catch him with bait that smells a bit like manure.
We rolled the smelly bait into a tight little ball.
Baited the hook and threw it out in the squall.
It went down hard and made us all high-five and grin.
But of course, as usual, we humans lost. It was a catfish win.
My long run was serene,
mostly wooded.
A short section took me
out to the highway;
my least favorite part.
Three narrow bridges
to be crossed,
traffic buzzing
too close for comfort.
I walked the third bridge,
up next to the rail,
out of the way,
with a few moments
to just look.
There below, in the water,
A catfish swam upstream,
Lazily,
Tail swishing
back and forth,
back fin out of the water,
glistening, sparkling
in the sunlight.
And I marvelled and thought,
“Who is this for?”
And then I remembered:
He’s watching me
watching the fish.
And He’s never bored.
Digesting the Past
David J Walker
Or
We can forget about it
And start over
Telling everyone we have
Taken new names
Or
Change the number
On our iPhones prone
To robocalls
Or
Take an alias on Twitter
Delete each other on tender
Another catfish on Snapchat
Or
move to the mountains
through back trails that
no one knows
but everyone goes there
subconsciously
Or
We can think about it
Forever
Slowly simmer on one bad
Summer day that
Lead to a year of
poor decision making
The past is past
You say though still unable to
Digest the mistakes that
To this day still
Block your airway
'Yond the fields
of golden whey
A mountains- grown
in grayish clay
Near it's 'neath
a river flows
On bedded rocks
green algae grows
Catfish' treats-
a tasty bite
They eat, they jump
into the night
When morning's sun
begins to rise
They jump again
to catch 'em flies
240
696
XX
96
Eh? woke up
this Thursday morning
with my finances
shaking the walls
some nice hoser lady
had given me a call
and left a message
right on my phone
she talked
also, very nice and slow
it was all so very proper
Don't Cha, know
she called
and,
mixed it up
like i was
in business
with Al Capone
like it was
a for sure thing
she said
they got my
loonie and my toonie (Canada money)
and they ain't
coming, home
so i scratched
my head
right under my
toque/tuque (cap/sleeping bonnet)
and kissed
a drop of Mickey (375 ml alcohol bottle ) (don't drink yet, lol)
right, into my DOUBLE DOUBLE (Tim Hortons coffee )
and Timbit, my donuts holes
and give
that internet
a Give'r,
of, a cat call
and what the
Kerfuffle! (hell!)
"Hey" I don't know anyone
in Deloraine, Manitoba
western Canada
wow! That's so cold!
Misfit catfish
side dish death wish
11/10/19
Written word by James Edward Lee Sr 2019
a rainbow catfish
jumps clean out of the water
showing her fierceness
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