This is inspired by memories from the 1950’s when my father and I would fish, well into the night in the Canadian wilderness. Coming back, with “little blue”, our 25 HP Evinrude pushing us through the damp, foggy darkness, traversing the treacherous rocky ‘narrows’ that connected the chain of lakes we fished.
Huge boulders lurked ominously in the clear, cold water. Motor off, dad would carefully row and pole our way through, with the bow-hung Coleman lantern’s yellow glow to guide us — and me at the bow of the boat with a hand-held Rayovac spotlight, visually probing the dark depths. The huge submerged rocks, appearing from out of the darkness like some beast, coming into the penetrating beam of my light, were indeed spooky, and gave me a shiver — still do.
Each season several fishermen would take out the bottom of their wood boats on an unseen rock. Bear and wolves lived in the forests, so one did not want to trek for miles through the pitch black of night. Making our way, weary and wet, back to our little island’s dark wooden dock was slow and eerie – but thrilling!
photo collage: “The Dock” – rob kistner © 2009
slowly cloaked
by the ghostly shroud
the lone light
hangs heavy
from the bow ring
throws its yellowed glow
into the damp night
searching its beam
fractured ‘cross the chop water
probing for the dark dock
for home
rob kistner © 08/13/09
revised © 2019
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
