Drum by a Barrel

Cruising up the lake I drove
Beyond my normal fishing holes
Searching for that special one
to have a little splendid fun

When to my left I spot a scene
A quiet cove beyond all dreams
Turning sharply on the wheel
I throttle down and grab my reel

Flip the troller - speed at a crawl
Set to cast and drop my jaw!
NO FISHING Here Beyond This Rope
Read the sign nailed to a float

What rule is this that cramps my style
I've searched far and long - come many a mile
By who's authority to hold me back?
I felt my rights were under attack

I didn't know the owner's name
Some say he's crazy some say he's sane
Other declare he's long past gone
But all I knew this sign was wrong!

The lake was mine in all its glory
Still I thirst for more, so here's the story
I pushed the rope down with my oar
Drowning the sign I chose to ignore

Stealth like gliding I made my way
Toward some hickory trees in decay
Further in the air grew stale
The water dingy it had a smell

Focus now - this is your chance
If I can woo her I'll do my dance
There's my ticket - a sunken barrel
Tossed my spinner and gave it a whirl

When in a flash I felt a bump
Knew in a jiffy I was not skunked!
I felt a shimmer shoot up my spine
>From something tugging the end of my line

I have you now, you beautiful thing
It's what I came for - my voice in sing
I have to admit she put up a fight
But it was useless under my might.

To the spoils - reaching down to grab her
Lifting her high in triumphant gesture
Oh me! Oh my! What have I done?
It's not a bass, but a sleazy Old Drum!

Before I knew it she gave me the slip
Sliding behind me slapping my hip.
She flipped and flopped with no shame or regret
as she knocked over tackle and slimed up the deck

What in the world have you done to me?
Get out of here before someone sees!
For I am a bass man, a true one untold
A long standing member, a name to uphold

I lunged out at her with a snarl and a shout
But hooked my shoe on the lure she spit out
Losing my balance I fell like a tree
Landing in ooze skinning my knee

Lying beside her I smelled her stench breath
I started to gag, longing for death
Get out you - you boat wrecker! I said with a cry
As I squeezed her ungently around her soft sides

I flung her over, yet not soon enough
For she let out on me mustard like stuff
I lay there in horror feeling dirty inside
Not knowing to gun it or sink down and hide

How did this happen? Why to me?
Wiping my face on the end of my sleeve
That Stupid fish! I grimaced in pain
Then let out a chuckle knowing who was to blame

See, I'd ignored the sign, and broken the law
Thought it was decrepit, with one or two flaws
But that did not change the fact of its power
For had I obeyed I'd be fishing this hour

Now this was a warning from a No Fishing sign
Imagine leaving God's Commandments behind
Whether you treat it like an old artifact
Stuffed in a glass case or hid out back

The results for breaking will still be the same
For there's power in those words because of "His Name"
Alive and unchanging from beginning to end
He wrote them to guide us - they will not bend

There's a silver lining this poem will address
That our Lord is forgiving if we only confess
He gave his Son for the price of our sins
So we can have peace and life forever with Him

So as we dust off our rigs this spring
And add to our reels new store bought string
Let us remember this Easter Holiday
Christ passion for us on Good Friday

May your trips be frequent, your bass none too few
Your horses run strong, and your stories half true
Enjoy God's creation in all its majestic apparel
Oh! And stay away from the drum that lives by a barrel!

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