Dig deep fisherman, brave man,
for there is worth below the waters,
between the silence
and the stillness,
between the fish to find
and the tangles to entwine,
between the breathing in
and the letting go, let it go,
between the desire to dive
and the danger of drowning.
Dig deep fisherman, simple man,
for there is madness in the making
beyond the bank and bed
and bark and bait,
beyond the trees that tower
and the skies that shelter,
beyond the seductive stillness
and the call of the silence,
beyond the fortune to be found
at the end of your line.
Dig deep fisherman, honest man,
salvation lies in your simple swing
far from the sinners
swimming upstream,
far the faithful
drowning in the shallows,
far from lies
cast to raging waters, enraging waters,
far from the substance
since sucked from the sacred.
Dig deep fisherman, still standing man,
make not the crowd your coffin
sure is the rod
that sweeps the silence,
brave is the bait
that slips though the stillness,
clever are the cautious
who consider the current,
fortunate is the fisherman
who finds favour far from fools.
All Words and Photographs by Damien B. Donnelly
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