Edward Steinhardt (August 16,1961 / Wayne, Michigan)

for Alexandre Zimmer


The man and woman,
Standing on the pier,
Cast their blind lines
Into the sea.

We, watching,
Hear the whip and fall
Of hook and bait-
And rise to the expectancy

Of water witches,
Who plumb these depths
With the faith of Moses,
Who smacked the rock

Three times with a stick.
The man and woman,
Standing on the pier,
Are patient in their spell.

A tug and pull
Is the answer to this trick
Of tropical fish
Dangling in the air.

'Too small, ' we think.
'Too small, ' they say.
And the fish is thrown
Back into the sea.

The patient pelican,
Standing near the pier
Does not believe
In hook and release.

He is like a magician
Who jumps and swoops
In his feathery cape
Until the fish disappears.

The man and woman
Standing on the pier,
Methodically cast
Their blind lines into the sea.