THE UNSPOKEN BOND POEM

Unspoken Bond – by Cam Pauli, Editor at North American Duck Hunter 

The Man kisses his wife
After he rises from bed
Then slips off into the darkness
No words need to be said

For she knows what calls him?
Those cold winds and dark shores
They’ve always made his heart sing
And regularly renew his spirit once more 

Their Dog diligently waits
As the Man’s coffee brews
Nine years they’ve shared a skiff together
For this Dog, it’s nothing new 

The excitement builds
In both of their chests
Man and Dog know a lot
But this is what they know best

They pull out of the drive
With plenty of time before first light
Headlights slicing through the snow
Coming down from the north with might

 Gravel crunches under the tires
As they pull over to the side of the road
Within their souls burns a desire
Keeping the warmth within from going cold 

The canoe slips into the river
Like an wary otter from shore
Many scratches adorn her bottom
From seasons spent here before

The paddle softly breaks the waters surface
Making the only audible sound
As the pair navigates the blackness
A map of the streambed in the Man’s mind can be found 

Twenty minutes passed
And two portages later
The Man jumps out of the canoe
Icy water grips his waders 

He tosses out the blocks with care
Taking all factors into consideration
For they lay the framework for
The winged beasts’ final destination 

Sitting amongst the dancing cattails
Cold air batters the Man’s face
He thinks quietly to himself, reflecting
No better substitute for solitude than this place