The Old Fishermen By The Sea Poem by Jim Yerman

THE OLD FISHERMEN BY THE SEA

They meet there every morning…every day of every year.
At the end of the pier they gather…with all their fishing gear.

Sometimes they greet each other by first names
Sometimes they smile instead….
Sometimes it's a simple gesture…
a wave or a nod of the head.

As they bait their hooks and cast their lines
they chatter endlessly
about their lives, their families and sometimes fishing…
these old fishermen by the sea.

If you ask them, will they ever miss a day of fishing
they quickly say… "We won't."
And they are happy if they catch a fish
but just as happy if they don't.

For though it was fishing that brought them together
now, it seems to me,
it's about so much more than fishing
for these old fishermen by the sea.