Each day, the joyful man
Quietly walks a few steps into the burbling ocean
Humming as he greets the busy fish
Calmly checking his trusty net
As his skin is kissed by a warming sun
And his heart is full with freedom
The waves lap at his feet, whispering “freedom”
Passing friends wave and smile at the man
As the clouds breeze by and brush their sun
Reflected on a quiet turquoise ocean
And he casts his faithful net
Yes, the mouths of hungry fish
Stipple the surface of water, saying “freedom”
As the oft-repaired strings of a net
Are tended by such a patient, whistling man
Whose sturdy legs step lightly in the cool ocean
And the seagulls cry to the watching sun
Moving across a grateful sky, this sun
Signals that deeper waters are a better place for fish
As the tide begins to rise in a restless ocean
And children squeal as they treasure sandcastle freedom
But the rising tide means harder work for the man
Who begins to swirl and tug at his filling net
But the fish are trying to escape his net
And once-kind rays now burst from an angry sun
With little time left, a sudden curse by the man
As a few of his precious fish
Discover the true meaning of unexpected freedom
And escape back into the teeming ocean
Yet, as always – by day’s end, the ocean
Reclaims anything forgotten by the net
Neighbors and friends make their way home to freedom
As the tired, yawning sun
Has mercy on the frantic fish
And the time has come to release the man
Finally, at the end of day, the ocean enfolds the sleeping sun
While the drowsy net is put away to dream of another day with fish
And the joyous rewards of absolute freedom trot happily back to the man
