3AM lying in the bottom of our boat
drunk as fishwives
strung on hooks of Everclear
we'd brewed with midnight sun
brighter in our eyes than any
moonshine,
singing hymns to the cod
in Norwegian
Gunstig fisk!
Utgaven av havet
Eldste sønn av havet
Flott fisk av havet!
(Beneficent Fish!
Issue of the Ocean
Eldest son of the Ocean
Great fish of the Ocean!)
and the fish would rise
to our voices, to
our lures on ropes
barely tied to the oarlocks
Dde rolige og rene herlighetene
Av havets dusør gitt
Omrøring gjennom vår dødelige ramme
Vend jorden selv til himmelen!
(The calm and pure delights
By ocean's bounty given
Stirring through our mortal frame
Turn Earth itself to Heaven!)
Which we thought was hysterical
as the fish would hammer the line
2-3 hits at a time
and we'd haul them in
I'd remove each hook
pinched between thumb and forefinger
laughing too at the blood
from steel stuck in my palm
I'm grateful to be the man
Jesus taught to fish,
grateful for the smell of fried cod
with a pinch of salt and pepper