FRIENDSHIP
Everyone was hungry as a grizzly
emerging from long hibernation
on this sub-zero September morning.
We waited on a long line of fishermen
under the Sturgeon bridge for the eels
at Kiln's Bay to swarm across the road.
My friend Jim Creed signaled me
to follow him to the azaleas behind his silo.
Crouching down, we snuck around to meet
Leonard Smith, who broke off chunks
of frozen mackerel fillets with his thumb and forefinger.
We chewed with gusto as our hunger pangs subsided.
Leonard wore his WWII bomber jacket, emblazoned
with the motto: Life is fragile, handle with care.