They fish
from tiny boats,
sampans and coracles -
red sails threading the sky
and bobbing
like poppies in the autumn sun.
Whales slip through waves
hunting silvered krill
and the spiny dusk
of urchins clinging to the sand.
And they wait
for lines to pull
their hands under
glistening with eel
and abalone,
hauling the afternoon
back to market
in hempen nets.