I Shall Have a Dream 

About the Commerce of Fish

circa 1958 (6 yrs before . . . )

it’s okay to stick a wiggling worm on a hook
& lace him up tight & sling him way out 
into the middle of the big lake 
& it’s okay to reel in that catfish you suckered 
with that worm-laced hook
& it’s okay to gut that fish & roll him in cornmeal
& fry him up golden brown & serve him up 
with taters & corn & a big salad
& it’s okay to sell tickets to these men
that bring their fishing poles & their worms 
& their beer & their wives & their kids:
the public is welcome, everybody’s welcome, 
anybody that pays a dollar to fish—
except dark folk, they don’t allow them.

Original poem appearing in my collection titled  “Turtle Woman & Other Poems” under the title “I Have a Dream: About the Commerce of Fish”