NEAR THE MALACITE VILLAGE JI’JIBWA: in bright sunlight

An old man and a young boy sat on an overturned canoe.

The boy was deep in thought. He turned to the old man,

“Grandfather, what if I catch five fish today,

with hook and line, and eat them?”

The old man answered, “If you catch five fish,

with hook and line, and eat them, then you will gain

the strength of five fish, but lose the knowledge.”

“And what if I construct a weir and bag-net

in the narrows, catch 20 fish and sell them at market?”

“If you construct a weir and bag-net in the

narrows, catch 20 fish and sell them, then you’ll gain

no strength and lose the knowledge of 20 fish.”

“What if I do not fish today?”

“Then you’ll eat nothing, but gain the knowledge

of hunger.”

“What does it mean? What’s the answer?”

“There is none,” the old man said and began

to laugh. “It’s a riddle.” And his laughter circled the boy,

echoed far out into the forest like a big blank “O.”

Michael Campagnoli lives in Rockland. His recent collection of poetry is “Ah-Meddy-Ga” published by All Nations Press of White Marsh, Va. In coming editions of Monday’s Discovering section, Uni-Verse will offer a poem grown from the experience of Maine, by poets of the present and past.