IJsselmeer delights
when the wind is right
we smell it
long before we reach it
meaning of course that
we have to tack into the harbour
thus earning our dinner
the day’s catch has been smoking
in huts lining the wharf
fragrant and oily in the breeze
just the scent of it is enough
to inspire our appetites
and lift our spirits
lowering sails and trading insults
with other crews who got there first
we drift toward the wal and make fast
once we have saluted the sunset
with a glass of scheepsbitter
one of the crew leaves to follow his nose
he returns with hangover prevention
arms fully loaded with fresh warm
gerookte haring
gezelligheid defined
Dutch dictionary …
wal: pier or wharf
scheepsbitter: traditional Dutch nautical liquor
gerookte haring: smoked herring
gezelligheid: when everything feels just right
definitions
we used to go fishing
my great uncle Boyd and I
mangling worms onto hooks
dangling them between ripples
casting and reeling in our lines
or slowly floating them in the stream
it didn’t seem to matter
whether it was sunny or cloudy
or where we sat so patiently
they just didn’t bite
my five year old wisdom
could not figure this one out
I asked him why it was called fishing
if we never caught any fish
he pondered awhile then said
with a twinkle in his eye
well I suppose then
it would be called catching
too young to give him the side eye
I simply accepted the truth of it
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