The Fisherman and The Salmon

The Fisherman and The Salmon

“I longed for the golden rays of the sun” the Salmon mused

 “Yet a part of me craved his voice…

His youth, His vigour, His zest for life

The tanned skin, the toned muscle and his gait radiant with poise”

 

“The Fisherman cast his net wide in the Sea” blushed the Salmon

“And his song cast a spell on me…

While my kin took the bait to wriggle and wobble

I floated mesmerised, a roll of destiny”

 

“There were too many fish in the Sea everyday” narrated the Fisherman

“Yet this Salmon caught my eye…

She swam the waters with surreal grace

I couldn’t but let my imagination fly”

 

“What if she was the answer to my dreams?” gushed the Fisherman

“The Fisherman’s Salmon: The world’s envy, my pride?

Her dance in the morning sun was meant for me

Ohh yes! I yearned for her to be by my side”

 

“If I could be human only for a day” sighed the Salmon

“Then his song would crave my dance…

The mer-woman’s tryst with a man on land

The World would revel in this trance”

 

“If she could be a woman only for a day” craved the Fisherman

“Then her dance would complete my song…

Our folktale would echo in the sands of time

The flavour of the Ocean sprinkled all along”

 

And so they prayed to the Gods they worshipped

For a chance -they thought it was – at liberation

The Lords that day were in a jolly mood

For them the weird wish itself was fascination

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“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her” exclaimed the Fisherman

“Bathing in sunlight, the nymph of the Ocean!

Her fingers caressed my outstretched hand

As she hopped onto the boat, the pearl of my affection”

 

“I melted at the way he looked at me” conceded the Salmon

“Ohh…I was literally a fish out of water!

And as his strong arms rowed the boat towards land

That I was leaving my home just ceased to matter!”

 

“People gasped as she walked with me” chuckled the Fisherman

“Even her footprints deserved a second glance…

Our eyes smiled and our faces blushed

Our hearts fluttered…all in a day’s romance”

 

“His little home looked palatial that day” reminisced the Salmon

“Indeed, he treated me like a Queen!

I lived the night in his muscular arms

It was the warmest I’d even been”

 

And then the Gods felt they risked Creation

With a whimsical union of predator and prey

It was time to put the order back in chaos

After all, their wish was “Only for a day”

                                               ************************

 “I woke up….unable to loosen his hold” choked the Salmon

“I yearned for that gulp of air”

 

“The stench of fish had filled my home” faulted the Fisherman

“My foolishness had been laid bare”

 

“Those murderous eyes had faked affection” complained the Salmon

“A spell that almost destroyed me!”

 

“To end her life was to put her in her place” justified the Fisherman

“It was the only way to set my heart free”

 

The bliss of the previous day was a distant memory

As the Salmon rushed back into the Ocean

“Between Land and Sea were many a story” the Wise ones said

This was just another one to the collection

 

Morning dawned to the Fisherman’s song

For a moment the Salmon was all at Sea

Then the Fisherman chased and the Salmon escaped

Desire and Despair would remain their shared Destiny!

                                         - Inspired by Instagram and "Babruvaahana"

                                                                                                               13th June 2023