The Masterpiece!

[Guest Mike Connor]

Another masterpiece takes shape, as sitting in his lonely room,

surrounded by materials, the angler plots another fishes doom,

Hair of rat, and tail of crow, much reminiscent of a witches brew,

fastened with much care and skill, of natures wares a pattern true.

 

But poor artifice you say, compared to all the beauteous flies,

knowing this, the angler, still undaunted, to copy them still tries,

even more surprising, than the failure of a perfect copy, still,

the fish will take imperfect ones, even poor copies, fish will kill.

 

Just as well, for centuries, the fish have fallen to such cunning,

no good reason though to cease, in past successes sunning,

the search goes on, as generations more of anglers still try,

with skill and care and articifice, to fashion yet the perfect fly.

 

Yet another deadly pattern, is praised and lauded, a sensation,

but even this avails one nought, is one remiss in presentation.

amazing really, such single-mindedness, as struck by Cupid,

which drives a host of men to hunt things basically quite stupid.

 

Were this not so, then scarce an angler would have caught a fish,

barely a minnow, would have landed dead on some Epicurean dish.

Be not insulted then, when questioned, as to your state of mind,

be grateful that the fish are not too clever, or somewhat blind.

 

By this same token then, laud not your skill above its worth,

lest this be greeted with derision, and much unseemly mirth,

you caught a trout, and your skills and knowledge are well firm,

but small boys do the same, knowing nought, and with a worm.

 

TL

MC