The Spear Fisher

An Ekphrastic Sonnet

The fisherman so poised with spear in hand
spends everyday in the rivers clear water
his catch piled high upon the wet sand
he could eat for a month, why the slaughter?

They say years ago he sailed the open sea
where the fish were big and he a success
then he spied a fish massive and mighty
a golden marlin, stolen in trespass

And awoke the sea dragon, king of storms,
in fury he sent forth thunder and squall
that fisherman’s love they tore from his arms
appeasingly sent to the  dragon’s thrall

Now he practices spearing fish whose size
most closely matches the dragon’s eyes

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The Entrance to the Tautira River, Tahiti. Fisherman Spearing a Fish (John La Farge, c. 1895)

This sonnet was written for the Clarity Cut Ekphrastic Challenge. For more information see here:

The Clarity Cut: Ekphrastic Challenge