Tuesday, June 7, 2011

3 Flies & A Feather ... And A Poem?

Three Flies And A Feather - or to be more specific two soft hackles, an egg patterned fly and a molted feather.  This 8in x 8in watercolor was done just to pass the time and to keep me working on my skills as a painter.  Its the first feather I've done but I think it turned out ok.
Its too bad that the cell phone pic doesn't really do it justice but you get the idea.
 I also was doing a bit of reading the other day and came across a poem that some of you might like.  Now I know what some of you are thinking and rest assured that poetry is not a favorite of mine.  The closest I have ever come to poetry is and an occasional Walt Whitman verse which I struggle to get through or perhaps an alcohol inspired and slightly more risqué poem about the Lady from Nantucket, but this one struck a cord and I thought that it just might with you.
It comes from a 1889 Denver Colorado publication of Sport Afield - a magazine that has been providing quality outdoor sports writing for over one hundred years.  This one is titled:

The Whole Story     by Dan De Foe

The fluttering fly Is tossed on high,
And lightly on the pool descends.
In shade of ash, A flash, a splash
The reel responds, the bamboo bends.

With twitch and twirl, And swish and swirl,
The ripples wide and wider whirl -
Speeding, receding, The line scarcely heeding;
'Mid boulders and eddies, A frantic chase leading -
The prize contends, Retreats, defends -
Aha-he's done-he scarcely bends The yielding cane;
His struggles wane-
The net! and lo, the conflict ends.

Even an angler that has never read a line of poetry in his life can attest to the moving quality of that work.  Enjoy your remainder of the week.

3 comments:

Lucas Carroll said...

Great piece really like the feather. I just tied some soft hackles just like those!

Anonymous said...

Great picture - like the feather. Hey, the newest thing out here is women buying flys for their hair. Just another outlet for those flys.

Passinthru Outdoors said...

Another awesome piece Joel. Just plain amazing.

Keep them coming and thanks for sharing the poem.