Song Of The Istanbul Hamsi Fishermen Poem by Hugh Mitchell

Song Of The Istanbul Hamsi Fishermen

Rating: 5.0


Oh I am a fisherman
and I fish in Emirgan
and I haul the mighty hamsi from the deep
I fish there come what may
and they seldom get away
and the ones I bring ashore I always keep.

Peep in my yoghurt pot
and you'll see I've caught a lot
although, with cig in mouth, I try to look blasé
I never show delight
even when my line is tight
as if 'eight at once' just happened every day.

Oh the hamsi he is strong
several centimetres long
and he wriggles like a devil to be free
but he knows he's had his lot
when I slip him in my pot
for he has a dinner-date at home with me.

So it's home at evening's chill
to Reshitpasha up the hill
with my hamsi pot a-bobbing on my knee
I'm not a layabout
and the bus is crowded out
so why does no-one come and sit near me?

Oh I sing for all of us
who love the Bosphorus
where man ensnares the hamsi for his food
that's where we'll all be found
until some tanker runs aground
and floods it with a million tons of crude.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Chinedu Dike 04 December 2014

A lovely narrative poem, well articulated and neatly penned to capture the essence of the poem. Most important, the adverse effect of oil spillage on aquatic life. I heard that Istanbul is one of the most peace cities on planet Earth. Thanks for sharing your lovely poem. Please read my poem MANDELA - THE IMMORTAL ICON.

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Hugh Mitchell

Hugh Mitchell

Coventry, England
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