July/August • 2020 • GASPARILLA MAGAZINE A
Th e telephone rang the other fi ne day,
while fi xing some teeth, as I earned my pay.
Th e voice I heard struck a known note,
‘twas the guy who owns the fl at-bottom boat.
To all he is known as the house builder Bowen.
He said to the Pass we would be a-goin’.
Seems now it’s time for all to compete,
in Miller’s big tourney, an annual meet.
“Th e tarpon are there,” he said with a laugh.
“Worth quite a large sum when brought to the gaff .
We’re not going fi shing, no need to catch bait,
but judges we’ll be, to keep fi shermen straight.”
“But what shall I bring to such an event?”
“Plenty of beer, that’s money well spent.”
“How much will we need?” I happened to say.
“Cases and cases, we’ll be out half a day.”
Th e morning arrived, I went to his lair,
only to fi nd that his boat wasn’t there.
Out he did walk, and said with a smile,
“I fogot that I loaned it out for awhile.”
“What will we do with no motor, no boat?”
“Swipe one from Miller’s,” he said with a gloat.
With such a good thought, and start time so near,
we quickly dashed off , not without a cold beer.
At Miller’s the crowd was getting prepared,
their boats and equipment, no penny was spared.
All of them set for what was to start,
and we, the big judges, unprepared for our part.
A boat we did get, all shiny and new,
to get it to kick, we were unable to do.
Out in the Pass, the game had begun,
but back at the dock our boat wouldn’t run.
We got it to fi re, I don’t know how,
so we swift ly took off , two bird dogs on the bow.
Out in the Pass the action was hot,
but we couldn’t phone in ... a radio we had not.
My co-judge he spoke, as he gulped down a brew,
“No problem, my friend. We’ll borrow that, too.”
Get one we did, we were totally set.
To guess us as drunk was an absolute bet.
Th e radio’s owner, we did fear his wrath,
‘cause his wireless box took a saltwater bath.
Th e tournament ended, big fi sh did some land,
one of them worth about fi ft een grand.
Photos were taken of the prize-winning shad,
the angler’s accountant was sure to be glad.
“Let’s do this again, the next time it goes,”
I said to friend Braxton, whose eyes stared at his
nose.
He smiled and spoke, with a belch and a jerk ...
“Th ere’s no way I won’t; it beats the hell out of
work.”
88 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • July/August • 2020
–Reeve Abraben, DMD, 1988, Boca Beacon