As a kid, he fished all the time
and loved to catch fish.

But he didn’t fish out of necessity
for food. He fished merely for sport.

And instead of throwing the fish back
in the water, he just let them die.

Then when he was in his late teens
he had a dream where the hundreds

of fish he had caught and killed
appeared before him one by one.

He felt the searing pain and the agony
he had caused those fish.

The pain and agony were so real,
he felt like he was going to die too.

He woke up uncertain if he were
dead or living

and felt something like lifesaving
relief when he realized it was just a dream.

And he never fished again after that dream,
which to this day he feels was more than a dream.

Bob Boyd