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 </div><p></p>It was eighty four days without fish<br>
The old man had always made a wish<br>
to catch even a catfish and make a dish<br>
But the sea had cursed him<br>
and the apparent wind made swish<br>
The sun died in his boat that night<br>
and he murmured a song to his delight<br>
He had returned from another empty day<br>
Sat on his skiff and ate sardines of yesterday
<p>The old man was gaunt with wrinkles in his neck<br>
The scars on his hand were fresh yet old to check<br>
Everything about him was old except his hopeful heart<br>
He liked American football and he followed the chart<br>
Santiago,the boy, said while they climbed the bank of the sea<br>
Maybe I should get some sardines and a hot cup of tea<br>
As they sat on the terrace,they discussed the boy’s departure<br>
I know you did not leave because you doubted<br>
Am a boy and got to obey when Dad flaunted<br>
You are with a lucky boat now and make a catch daily<br>
Make some money and come every evening to drink gaily</p>
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<p>Eighty five was a lucky number and this must be the day<br>
“Today I await my destiny” and the old man pray-ed<br>
The boy bid him good bye and wished him well<br>
He sailed deep into the ocean and whistled along<br>
And soon he was all alone with old eyes to watch<br>
He followed the ineffectual movement of fish birds<br>
The school had left him and they were moving farther<br>
Maybe I must cast somewhere here<br>
Maybe somewhere my big fish is here<br>
If others heard me talking aloud,they may think crazy<br>
But since no one is near and I am not crazy,I don’t care<br>
The old man cast his net and sailed steadily around the region<br>
Two sea birds had settled on his skiff and waggled their tails<br>
They sung of summer and sweet soaked smiles and the struggle<br>
The Old man was old enough to appreciate and thanked the birds<br>
He thought of sleeping but that would be dangerous,he said</p>
<p>It was dark and the old man still sailed<br>
It had become true that he wasn’t going without a fish<br>
He felt his rope becoming heavy and he smiled<br>
The old man wept, he wept of many days without a fish<br>
He became wide awake and hoped for glory at last<br>
The fish was big,he thought….this fish can buy the shore<br>
I hope no one has been worried,the boy am sure will have confidence<br>
The fish is a calm one or he just aware of who has caught him<br>
Now the boy’s father won’t insult him as well as the younger fishermen<br>
This fish won’t kill me,I fight till I die,he thought<br>
He leaned against his stern and he knew he was not dead<br>
He spat into the ocean and said, eat that big fish<br>
The wind was blowing harder and the pungent smell of flesh<br>
Let this wind blow us to the shore quietly,be gentle as you have been<br>
For I have no strength in these bones to carry you,the old man said aloud<br>
As the old approached the shore,he was close to death<br>
He ahoy,but there was no man to meet him, not even the boy<br>
Have they gone looking for me or they are drinking a beer,he wondered<br>
The old man reached where he could see the fish and pulled it up<br>
Alas,the boy lied in the net, he had fished the boy’s corpse<br>
For eighty five days without fish but dead body of dear boy<br>
The Old man stopped fishing and wept the rest of his life<br>
Such is the destiny of a cursed old man</p>
<p><a href="http://poetry.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_1378.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-15389" src="http://poetry.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_1378.jpg" alt="img_1378" width="637" height="357" loading="lazy"></a></p>
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 Oppong Clifford Benjamin </a>
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