Catch & Release

Published in Florida Review, Spring 2005
Catch and Release
I wonder if there was a time When aliens Simply lowered heavy test lines Baited with what suited The season, the time of day, Our studied moods.
Maybe, once, inside Each slice of turtle cake, Letter postmarked Prague, Or new lover's neck, A hook waited to snatch Us from our kitchens.
Maybe our exhilaration Was the aliens' sporting fight, Our ecstasy our souls dragged Through the rigid liquid of windows, Past the anchoring trees, Into air too thin
For our long survival. I wonder how long— Gripped over the railing By the throat and knees, All tiger-stripe and rainbow— Our souls shined for them,
How long we panted and writhed Before they noticed our eyes— Blinking like lucid inner plates— And they dropped what's left in us To snap to life in its swimming Back into darkness, away.

Publication Details

Title: Catch & Release Publication: Florida Review Issue: Spring 2005 Type: Poem Author: Curt Rode