Bycatch
Indistinguishable, like dying fish,
old men lie there, long faces,
silver heads and black triangular mouths.
They are the bycatch of a trawler
that has dragged its weighted nets
and steel rollers through their lives,
torn up fragile habitats
and the symbiosis
of ancient partnerships.
I scan each bed on the dementia ward for you
and as my eye adjusts,
I see there, among the indiscriminate waste,
each rare species.
Here a grand aged Leatherback
there, a Roundnose Grenadier
and this one Orange Roughy
that has taken ninety years to mature.
Caroline Smith was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award. Her new book, ‘Bycatch’ is is forthcoming in October with Nine Arches Press. She is a 2025 Hawthornden Fellow.