‘Fishing for Time’
By Art of the Diver
- 1721 reads
In all our lives there are times that if we are lucky enough to share positively, will last a lifetime and beyond. When those times represent the passing on of knowledge and wisdom, between an older person and their grandchild, they are often very profound and special for both parties. I was one who found all the times I spent with my Grandfather who had served throughout the First World War, the best times I could ever have hoped to have. Times that changed both our lives, helping my Grandfather get through, from all the horrors he had experienced in the Somme and other bloody fields on the western front and helping me to understand what had happened throughout his life. I have always felt blessed that he cared to share his experiences with me from such an early age, allowing me to see the futility of war, through the eyes of one who felt blessed to have survived. This piece was written in his memory.
‘Fishing for Time’
Granddad why is your face so old?
Were your wrinkles made by the sun?
You always tell the bestest stories I’ve been told
Can we go fishing now; we’ll have real good fun
Granddad can we try to catch seahorses too?
Will you tell me stories about the war?
We might catch a killer whale as big as you
Remember the giant shark we both saw?
This was a time of learning for the boy
He always cherished special times this way
The not so distant wharf & his Granddad
always gave him such a sense of joy ``` ><>
So two best friends ambled off together
towards yet another special day ``` ><>
This was also a time of reflection for an old man
A time to pass on wisdom gained, <>< ```
from vast experience, to a more than an eager ear
Times when he felt, a sense of belonging,
sense of purpose grown for more than just his favourite fan
A shared lunch with degrees of love;
great reasons to be so dear
Now my boy, don’t look at me as an old man
These are the lines of my experience you see
I live to tell you of my life & how
you can learn to be the best you can
Then along with all the things you know,
you’ll be wiser than me when you’re a man
In time you will see great change happen,
in many strange & unknown ways
Never forget the things that you learn today
or all the things about the past
Then where ever your life takes you,
you’ll have lots of special days
And when my Great, Great Grandson goes fishing,
all our memories will last
There are many, many paths
that you have yet to walk & see
You know, lines will form upon your face as well
They’ll form a whole montage of times
Just like this & of those times yet to be
Those lines will show your Grandson,
that there are lots of stories, you can tell
Now are you going to catch
that fish nibbling on your bait?
Or just give him a free feed
just to help him grow
Granddad, I remember you taught me
that I should wait
You’re funny Granddad,
I’m listening, don’t you know
You know son, I’ve seen a lot of hatred
during life & throughout the war years
It’s caused by not understanding our fellow man
All people are like you & me, they love & wish
They all have families with many hopes & fears
So always try hard to understand other folk if you can
I’m sorry son, I talk too much,
I should be quite when we fish
You’re funny Granddad,
I like to listen too much, don’t you know
That way I hear the birds deciding where to fly
Granddad I can tell from the clouds,
which way the wind will blow
Look Granddad, the gannets are fishing too,
it’s fun to see them diving from the sky
They must have real good eyesight <>< ```
to see the fish down below
Skimming just above the waves,
I love to watch them all in flight
Granddad, I’m never scared, ‘’’ ><> ``` ><>
I’m brave like you, don’t you know
You know son, you take your Grandson fishing,
you’ll both be happy as can be
Make sure you spend good times together,
really special days, just like we do
Your furrowed brow he’ll ask about,
so you tell him, you got that from me
Because we shared lots of scones & sandwiches,
buttered with, all the love I have for you
*~ Pearldiver~
Copyright © 2009 Rob Welsh - Art of the Diver with all rights reserved.
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Comments
nothing greater than a
nothing greater than a Granddad tribute. Lovely conversation and the best thing it's the timing of this story.
T.
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