The Poor Fisherman by Pierre Puvis de Chevannes (1881)
We cling together
Like starving fishermen
Pulling up stones.
Casting nets by day
Lots by night
Crooked tooth smiles
flash. As short
straws are drawn.
This verse was inspired by the two phrasal prompts offered by the OLWG this week. The phrases were: we cling together and fishermen pulling up stones.
Thru Violet's Lentz 
Poignant and sad!
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And the picture surely doesn’t contribute any gaiety..
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It’s heartbreaking.
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Does one take the pulling up of stones to be the stones used as anchors in day long gone? Therefore to pull up stones means to move on. I think it’s so, since it fits the story. And I do like the story, the words, the… well, the everything 🙂
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I took the more literal translation which had my fisherman casting lots to become dinner in lieu of the fish they could not catch. But I like your translation, and it makes me wonder about another storyline all together.
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Ah-ha. Happy to provoke new thoughts. 🙂
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I recently read a book about the Donner Party. Gruesome stuff. Yours is a bit dark too, but very well done. You wielded your paring knife with great skill.
Thanks
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I tried to go on from here, but nothing suitable presented itself.
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What you presented was just fine. Wonderful
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One skill of many I lack… using a rod and reel. I’ll just have to use my ‘pen’ to capture my ‘prey’…
I read a book about a gal who lived on a lighthouse island and she and her family lived off the fish…
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