Surprise Catch

Daily Note

Every day, a photograph, a poem. Yesterday I wrote about the pictures I had lost, but now have found them again. One of those pictures is of my cousin and my little brother whose fishing adventure brought them a real prize: a paddlefish.

American Paddlefish are protected in many areas now, but back then in the 60s they were a prize catch in the Mississippi River drainage system, which covers much of North America. We lived along the Missouri River in North Dakota, a whirl pool filled muddy river where once cities of Native Americans lived. The river carries immense sediments and so is nicknamed the Big Muddy.

The two cousins rigged their poles, hoping to catch a North Pike for dinner, but instead were treated with a big surprise. And so, a poem for them.

Surprise Catch

Fishing
August Adventure
Dreaming Northern Pike
Big Muddy – Missouri River
Cousins cast, waiting for dinner—
Pole tip dips low
Grab and tug
Ancient fighter
Paddlefish!

Sheri Edwards
041322 104.365.22
Poetry/Photography

For more info on the paddlefish, see this video: Paddlefish: An American Treasure

A bit on the writing process: What Else Surprise Catch

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