The Bay is Crisp

An open window lets the air in,

lets in the brackish air. It is early,

just before dawn.

Boats, still moored,

bob languidly.

And those departing

are loath to make wake,

nary a ripple.

           

Fishermen (and fisher

women too) seek out a living,

eke out a life,

dredging from the deep

to furnish a feast for someone.

The nip in the air

wakes one faster than coffee.

Profit by the pound,

but only on good days, only

if the weather behaves—

a day just like today,

we both hope and pray.

-

"The Bay is Crisp" won 3^rd place in the Ohio Poetry Day 2017 poetry contest #3, Evelyn Barker Award: “In Praise of Traditional Values,” and was published in the contest compilation chapbook, Ohio Poetry Day: Best of 2017. 

Eric