he struggled until until the great Marlin lacerated his hands
and in their mighty conflict
they became brothers
so violent was their contest it spanned 3 days and 3 nights of suffering
a trinity
the sea rose swollen at night pregnant with the moon scorched dry at day under the anvil of the hard copper sun
the Marlin died not in righteous combat yet at the point of a blade streaming blood in aquafers from his stabbed out eyes
his killer his brother as Kane slew Abel
the sharks sat in judgement like Old Testament prophets
they brooked no other verdict
and it was a savage verdict
the old man at last resembled the skeleton of his prey
he trudged ashore with his cross
and dumped it on the sand in a pile a jumble of bones
there was no resurrection
the boy welcomed him with coffee
he drank the coffee and dreamt of his lions
dancing in a pride along the Cuban beach
they hung up the skeleton of the great Marlin on a giant cross
and blessed themselves in a recitation of the rosary afore
the Virgin herself
Flynnpoetry 