by Charlotte Heotis, edited by Peter Heotis, 2022
Those who fish for trout
Go where beauty is
Where air is incense, where
No poison strains.
Congenial friends may share
These lonely streams,
But they must stay past bend
Or waterfall.
Testing oneself is best
When done alone.
We try to learn the secrets
Of the stream
How currents run , what drifts
In quiet depths
0r sweeps around the stones
to tempt a fish;
what artifice can stir
the same desire
with feathers and some fur
a barb within
A trout is never trusting
We learn by using
Simple, ancient gear,
The history of an art-
And we learn patience, too,
Sometimes the hardest part.
The solitude,
Relief from care,
Frustrating doubt
About our angling skills-
These stay with those who fish for trout
