He taunts me, from a distance.
Breaking the crest of the sea with his dorsal fin.
Slithering as if in a ritualistic dance.
Or is it because he is celebrating an early victory?

He bears witness to our tireless struggle as I do.
His strength, his agility and the sea his greatest ally.
Whilst I bank on nothing more than my experience, my line
and my undeterred determination, which refuses to comply.

He swims in his element, when I endure the scorching sun.
He basks in his glory, a marlin prime.
Me, the forgotten bodach, whose glory days are long gone.

Wheezing, sweating, I shout aloud - Thinking you can take the wind out of sails?
You can only break my body not my mind,
not when my grit still prevails.

He replies in kind with a mighty pull.
My line strains, cutting my hands deep.
I know he fights for his life, but so do I.
Our tug of war is ours to reap.

- Ab's library