17 The Worm And The Angler Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon
17 The Worm And The Angler
THE WORM AND THE ANGLER
They (the fish) are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able.- Earnest Hemingway in 'Old Man and the Sea'.
When you picked me up from the dirt
I writhed and tried to wriggle out
For my life.
I felt the vile heart that throbbed
On the ugly fingers that held me-
Your heart!
It was dirtier than the dirt I lived in
Fouler than the fowl-beaks
I escaped till day
Crueler than the crow-beaks
That would feed on my flesh.
Not even in my dreams
Had I seen a hook
Much less, one that would impale me,
For, none who ascended the cross, nay, hook
Came back to tell the tale of the crooks.
Life is just another tale
By another name!
My slightly flesh
Would not your hunger sate
So I am here on the hook a bait
For the fish to come and bite.
I would attract only smaller fry
Bigger sharks need better baits.
The fish that would swallow me
And end up on your dining table
Knows quite well that
I do not belong to its waters
And its regular food
But never guess I am a bait
May not notice the hook, the line
And the vile hands holding control.
It would be too late
When the sharpness of the hook
Meets its flesh
And pulls it out
Of its own waters
Writhing, gasping for a wisp of air
In the abundant air
That would snatch its life away.
In the excruciating pain
And the suffocating full open air
It would definitely forget
To curse you, the line and the hook.
But the curse on me
Is for generations to come.
Its guts you remove
Would include my little flesh
May be still alive
Would feed the crows and the fowl.
But they would never know
My bleeding heart, life impaled
Your forked tongue
And crooked fangs.
Life is just another game
By another name!
Really good.... its very well narrated the life of worm in a different way
This poem transported me to the earthworm's point of view. We humans tend to escalate the means we use to gain advantage over other lives. Even among humans we see 'hooks' of increasing sophistication, deployed by the cunning towards the innocent. This calls for reflection and humility.
Very true, Denis. Human greed, cruelty and are unparalleled. Thank you for the comments
Killing animals for food, we are doing from time immemorial.We never think from the killed animals' perspective.Your narrative and empathy is really touching.It is a worthy read for all!
Every life-form on earth is part of the food chain, designed by(or evolved in) the nature. Right from planktons to whales. My poem is more about how man uses man (or women) as baits to trap and exploit others.
These are the words of My Favourite Poet Olga Tinina:
SOMEONE is looking for worms and provokes us like fish, luring us with the promise of a delicious dinner, we swallow the bait and then we are in captivity of their ambitions! and who is it? who can control us with the help of just worms, presenting to us that this is a delicacy!
This is the very first poem I published on PoemHunter
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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7/18/2025 5:02:06 AM # 1.0.0
Ah, you have written an awesome poem here. Putting aside the metaphor aspect of this poem for a moment tells me it stands tall as an elegy for a worm writhing on a fish hook. I always hated that part of fishing- I was spared taking the fish off the hook and gutting it but my father insisted I put my own squirmy worm on my hook. I felt like the meanest, cruelest, most savage barbarian on earth putting a worm on the hook, piercing its body and it would squeal with its body. The life lesson we could learn from this is so varied and strong. So glad you posted this. and you get a big 10++++++
Hi Susie, I had not noticed that you have not read this poem. This was the first poem I posted on PH. And we got acquainted much later, so I missed to invite you to read this one. Now, your observations on it. So very deeply analytic. And, meanest, cruellest.....most savage barbarian... How did I read your mind! ! ! That too before even meeting you on ph. Of course, the experience the worm goes through while impaled on the hook is beyond words. And I have seen it still alive, even after the fish is removed from the hook (though fishing, especially by hook, is something I never liked.) Thank you Susie for all the appreciation. A word from a poet I adore like you, made my day. Thank you for all the appreciation and a Big Thank You, for that 10. Obliged.