The Fisherman's Honesty

Looking for some mental refreshment

I wandered along a lakeshore

golden and red

and still

with a failing warmth to the air

That autumn I found a fisherman

measuring a fish

carefully

with a metric scale

stamped "Approved by State Fishermen's

Certification Office"

took a form from his tackle box

made little marks on the form

and began

to count the spots on the fish

Satisfied, he recorded

the count

then he began to

write in a labored hand

water temp

water color

water clarity

water depth

oxygen content

He made some calculation on the form

and

threw the fish back into the water

dead

"Too small?" I asked.

"Nope, I'm trying to catch up on my throw-back-average.

Way behind this year. Be on probation if my

throw-back-to-keep-ratio

is not in line with the

STATE AVERAGE."

"Why don't you just send the paper without catching the fish?"

"Can't. I'm honest. I'm not moral any more,

but

I'm honest.

Be fishing in hell, I guess."