A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry

The Venerable Fisherman Speaks Again of His Days

200 A Face to Meet the Faces The Venerable Fisherman Speaks Again of His Days Vievee Francis —for the Venerable Bogwang (Lee Sang-chul) To fish to know their mouths the shimmering flesh the thrash within the net flick of knife fleck of scales Who can smile looking back? Once I was a fisherman a man of the water blood-soaked deck and slicker of the mud and its secret pockets of the water and what catches the light below water that cools the skin a man of the rivulet and the rived belly pouring out its quick life I look over the hills as if forgiveness might be found just over them— I was a fisherman I had a wife I had children I could feed whose palms were plump as fish bellies always dancing jumping There was a storm no other sign A boat is indifferent 201 It Kept on Burning North or South I was still a fisherman a fisherman I had a wife who was not yet cleaved I had children eager at play as carp Some I threw back it’s true I was a fisherman not a spy so when the prong slid electric between my legs I thought it was an eel perhaps it recognized me perhaps I had chopped off its head Torture? My hands danced in front of my face then up toward a light A song played in my right ear The perfect song for a day I could not hold Outside my wife swam away undulant as a strand of hair swirling beneath the surface phlegm spit blood piss the outpourings of the body I will spy I was never a spy I have been thrown back into the world with a hook in my mouth My hands jump at unexpected times mocking flapping With my feet in the iced tub I saw a fish at my ankles It was my child come to save me I reached for— but the fish slid from my grip a shimmer under the surface like a thrashing carp convulsively mouthing goodbye goodbye goodbye goodbye 202 A Face to Meet the Faces Are you listening? I said I am no spy Ask the fish I said Only release me and I— Torture? I was a fisherman I said I only want to go home to be thrown back believe me Come let’s walk to the river Let’s hear what the fish have to say ...