An Atlantic Return

At wharf’s docking,
lobster boats add flavour
to the scent of
salty air, seagulls sounding
“ERK-ERK” calls
and cormorants diving
for mackerel snacks.

Family tradition,
son & daughter clinging
to day’s excitement as a pair
of mollusks

fishing’s commercial return
better than table scraps,
if only insurance and equipment
didn’t come so pricey.

Used to be simple back
then, now Depth Sounders
and Plotters seek out
ocean catches, pulling in traps
from a Hydraulic Hauler

no longer needing
weathered hands straining
from natural hardship.

© Richard L. Provencher

First published April 3, 2006
The Dublin Quarterly
An International Literary Review
Issue No 7 March ’06-May ‘06