AMO ERGO ODI

They sailed well
and the old man soaked his hands in the salt water
and tried to keep his head clear.
There were high cumulus clouds
and enough cirrus above them
so that the old man knew the breeze would last all night.
The old man looked at the fish constantly
to make sure it was true.
It was an hour before the first shark hit him.

The shark was not an accident.
He had come up from deep down in the water
as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed
in the mile-deep sea.
He had come up so fast
and absolutely without caution
that he broke the surface of the blue water
and was in the sun.
Then he fell back into the sea
and picked up the scent and started swimming
on the course the skiff and the fish had taken.

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