Winter Flies
Gary Metras
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| PHOTO: Andrey/Flickr |
Originally Published in the July 2012 issue of Empirical
Wrist and fingertips wrap
feather and fur clockwise
to hurry the season of ice
and frigid water, bobbin
and thread over, around
steel hooks sharp enough
to slice a fingernail, to draw
a pearl of blood on thumb—
swipe it on hackle, on spun
deer hair, make a neat head
and whip-knot finish until
boxes bulge with row upon
row of these still creatures
anxious to float or swim
toward a trout’s rush.
In the dubbed body
of each, a few strands
of beard, gray and wiry,
like an old man’s signature,
the DNA of once dexterous
hands stiff with waiting
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Gary, Your devotion to your art has us mesmerized. Fishing is in the Metras DNA. Originally from France, the Metras' line settled all along the St. Lawrence Seaway forking down through the Great Lakes and to New England. Thank you Gary for your eloquence, your ancestors would be proud of you. The Metras family in Alaska
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words and support for one of our outstanding contributors, as well as one of your own. Make sure to check out our archive for more poetry and short fiction from past issues!
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