The Lost Fish

Poised carefully on the rocky bank,
My stance is firm and wide.
The line stretches, as if to break—
Oh, can I win this fight?
He increases the distance between us
As I stand helpless on the shore.
I know too well the consequences;
I’ve lost this fish before.
Oh, I was young and impatient,
And tried to horse him in.
But Mother Nature took his side,
And set him free again.
So I cried and screamed and threw
My lovely rod.