PATTY HARDIN has no direct fishing experience, but she has salt in her veins all the same. Her oldest stepson has fished in Alaska for several years and her husband retired after more than twenty-four years in the Coast Guard. In addition, Patty has twenty years scuba diving experience and had the supreme pleasure of diving up close and personal with sharks.
She enjoys writing poetry, including haiku, and has three published books: Devil In Her Arms, a romance novel, Welcome Home, a collection of stories from Vietnam veterans and Merry Christmas, Murphy, a children’s picture book.
Patty also enjoys riding her Harley and collecting anything shark-related. She can be reached at sharkey51@centurytel.net.
She enjoys writing poetry, including haiku, and has three published books: Devil In Her Arms, a romance novel, Welcome Home, a collection of stories from Vietnam veterans and Merry Christmas, Murphy, a children’s picture book.
Patty also enjoys riding her Harley and collecting anything shark-related. She can be reached at sharkey51@centurytel.net.
WRITINGS
A Single Bell
A single bell was ringing,
one peal for each man gone.
Then a child stepped forward
and sang this little song.
“My daddy was a fisherman
who fished the Bering Sea,
but at the end of every season
he came home to Mommy and me.
“Mommy did her very best
to keep me occupied.
She read me stories and sang me songs
and wiped the tears I cried.
“Every day I went to school
and tried very hard to learn.
Each night before I went to sleep
I prayed for Daddy’s safe return.
“Daddy used to tell me
while I sat upon his knee,
‘Son when you are old enough,
I’ll take you fishing with me.’”
One day Mommy told me,
“I have some news and it is bad.
Today I got a phone call.
The Bering Sea took your dad.”
I miss Daddy very much,
but I know he’s fishing in Heaven.
I guess I’m the man of the house now.
It’s a big job I’ve been given.
I want to be a fisherman,
but Mommy doesn’t know.
She’d cry a lot and tell me,
“Son, I don’t want you to go.”
For now I’ll put away my dream
of fishing the Bering Sea
and hope one day Mommy will understand
What fishing means to me.
_________________
The Brothers Trimm
John and Joe Trimm are brothers
who fished the Bering Sea.
Their boat was named the Golden Pledge.
Oh what a sight was she.
With her wooden hull and stately mast
she rode the waves wit ease.
And when the ice came creeping down
she outran the freeze.
One day Joe had a change of heart
and said, “Before I get too old
I’d like to quit this fishin’
and sluice for Alaska gold.”
So John kept fishing the Bering Sea
aboard the Golden Pledge
While brother Joe moved on to Nome
and built himself a dredge.
But Joe soon realized
he wouldn’t keep his dream alive
when he couldn’t hire a single person
who was able and willing to dive.
Without a diver I can’t get the gold
Joe told himself one day.
I’ll have to sell my little dredge.
There is no other way.
So Joe called his brother and said,
“At a loss I sold my dredge.
Is there any chance for me
aboard the Golden Pledge?”
John said, “Of course there’s a place. You’re family.
Sorry you had to sell your dredge.
Come join me, brother, and once again
you’ll be fishing on the vessel Pledge.”
John and Joe are retired now
and happy so it seems.
But John still thinks about the vessel Pledge
and Joe harbors golden dreams.
_________________
The Bedraggled Old Boat
The bedraggled old boat
set out to sea
with meager provisions
and a crew of three.
They drifted for days
with little to do
the bedraggled old boat
and her motley crew.
The winds came up
and the boat was tossed.
Though the storm raged on
not one man was lost.
And now we continue our woeful tale
of the boat that set out to sea.
Their provisions were gone and oh so tired
was the motley crew of three.
“It’s all gone wrong this trip of ours,”
the skipper told his crew.
“Our food is gone, we’ve little to drink.
We’re paying the devil his due.”
What happened you ask to boat and crew?
I’ll tell you if you please.
They joined the fleet of ghostly vessels
roaming the seven seas.
_________________
Wife’s Revenge
I spent yesterday
hoping and wishing
that today my husband
would take me fishing.
But he told me women
are bad luck on a boat.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
Don’t I get a vote?”
“No,” he said.
“You have to stay home.
I want to catch fish
so I’m going alone.”
At first his refusal hit me hard.
Then I remembered his credit card.
So today while he’s out on the water
I’ll be at the mall with our teenage daughter.
_________________
Knotty Dan
Knotty Dan was a seafaring man
who enjoyed a nip of grog.
Sometimes, though, he nipped too much
and his head got wrapped in fog.
Dan was an expert at tying knots.
He tied them every day.
But one afternoon a friend stopped by
and the grog got in the way.
They talked for hours these two old friends
and time slipped by unnoticed.
Dan forgot about tying knots.
Both men lost their focus.
Next morning Dan rolled out of bed
clutching at his noggin.
“I fear,” said he, “that all last night
I had too much of groggin.”
Time flew by too fast for Dan
and he got to thinkin’.
“Maybe I should settle down,
stop all this dad burn drinkin’”.
You know Dan was an expert at tying knots,
but there was one he hadn’t tried.
So with one last nip of grog
Ol’ Dan took a bride.
A single bell was ringing,
one peal for each man gone.
Then a child stepped forward
and sang this little song.
“My daddy was a fisherman
who fished the Bering Sea,
but at the end of every season
he came home to Mommy and me.
“Mommy did her very best
to keep me occupied.
She read me stories and sang me songs
and wiped the tears I cried.
“Every day I went to school
and tried very hard to learn.
Each night before I went to sleep
I prayed for Daddy’s safe return.
“Daddy used to tell me
while I sat upon his knee,
‘Son when you are old enough,
I’ll take you fishing with me.’”
One day Mommy told me,
“I have some news and it is bad.
Today I got a phone call.
The Bering Sea took your dad.”
I miss Daddy very much,
but I know he’s fishing in Heaven.
I guess I’m the man of the house now.
It’s a big job I’ve been given.
I want to be a fisherman,
but Mommy doesn’t know.
She’d cry a lot and tell me,
“Son, I don’t want you to go.”
For now I’ll put away my dream
of fishing the Bering Sea
and hope one day Mommy will understand
What fishing means to me.
_________________
The Brothers Trimm
John and Joe Trimm are brothers
who fished the Bering Sea.
Their boat was named the Golden Pledge.
Oh what a sight was she.
With her wooden hull and stately mast
she rode the waves wit ease.
And when the ice came creeping down
she outran the freeze.
One day Joe had a change of heart
and said, “Before I get too old
I’d like to quit this fishin’
and sluice for Alaska gold.”
So John kept fishing the Bering Sea
aboard the Golden Pledge
While brother Joe moved on to Nome
and built himself a dredge.
But Joe soon realized
he wouldn’t keep his dream alive
when he couldn’t hire a single person
who was able and willing to dive.
Without a diver I can’t get the gold
Joe told himself one day.
I’ll have to sell my little dredge.
There is no other way.
So Joe called his brother and said,
“At a loss I sold my dredge.
Is there any chance for me
aboard the Golden Pledge?”
John said, “Of course there’s a place. You’re family.
Sorry you had to sell your dredge.
Come join me, brother, and once again
you’ll be fishing on the vessel Pledge.”
John and Joe are retired now
and happy so it seems.
But John still thinks about the vessel Pledge
and Joe harbors golden dreams.
_________________
The Bedraggled Old Boat
The bedraggled old boat
set out to sea
with meager provisions
and a crew of three.
They drifted for days
with little to do
the bedraggled old boat
and her motley crew.
The winds came up
and the boat was tossed.
Though the storm raged on
not one man was lost.
And now we continue our woeful tale
of the boat that set out to sea.
Their provisions were gone and oh so tired
was the motley crew of three.
“It’s all gone wrong this trip of ours,”
the skipper told his crew.
“Our food is gone, we’ve little to drink.
We’re paying the devil his due.”
What happened you ask to boat and crew?
I’ll tell you if you please.
They joined the fleet of ghostly vessels
roaming the seven seas.
_________________
Wife’s Revenge
I spent yesterday
hoping and wishing
that today my husband
would take me fishing.
But he told me women
are bad luck on a boat.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
Don’t I get a vote?”
“No,” he said.
“You have to stay home.
I want to catch fish
so I’m going alone.”
At first his refusal hit me hard.
Then I remembered his credit card.
So today while he’s out on the water
I’ll be at the mall with our teenage daughter.
_________________
Knotty Dan
Knotty Dan was a seafaring man
who enjoyed a nip of grog.
Sometimes, though, he nipped too much
and his head got wrapped in fog.
Dan was an expert at tying knots.
He tied them every day.
But one afternoon a friend stopped by
and the grog got in the way.
They talked for hours these two old friends
and time slipped by unnoticed.
Dan forgot about tying knots.
Both men lost their focus.
Next morning Dan rolled out of bed
clutching at his noggin.
“I fear,” said he, “that all last night
I had too much of groggin.”
Time flew by too fast for Dan
and he got to thinkin’.
“Maybe I should settle down,
stop all this dad burn drinkin’”.
You know Dan was an expert at tying knots,
but there was one he hadn’t tried.
So with one last nip of grog
Ol’ Dan took a bride.