Six lobster pots
Lifted from the bay
By the captain, orange gloved
With foul weather gear to match
He checks his catch
No luck
Toward the jetty
He steers his boat
Wide beamed and modest
Replenishes the bait
Attaches steel traps
To a long line
Drops them one by one
Off the starboard side
They fall in full attention
Like soldiers awaiting orders
The captain looks to the sky
Clouds above the bay
Wind out of the east, blowing west
Warm
Clearing
A good sign
One eider black and white
Floats on top of the gray water
Catches the breeze
Surveys the troops
Dips his head down under
Dives for shellfish
A good sign
The traps now ready
Again
To catch what the tide brings
Ellie Bates resides in Edgartown. She has been involved in student and adult writing for more than 35 years. Her nonfiction work, personal essays, and poetry have been published in Island journals Martha’s Vineyard Writing and Refocus. She is currently involved with the Howes House Writers, Cleaveland House Poets, and Featherstone Center for the Arts.
