Believing in Worms

These long brown slippery things that shrink and bend
their obscene snouts and banded bellies tight
when touched are something else to get hooked right
for bass.  For pan fish, they’re a mess:  They tend

to break in chunks like sausage, so you mend
the damage up, but all the while their white
guts ooze out greenish while your own guts fight
for daylight.  Now you understand the trend

toward plastic worms, toward silver spoons and jigs
that clip on cleanly to the leader.  Bright,
secure, and sanitary, they kill bass,

miss weeds, work deep and clean to pull the big
ones in.  Live worms go better, though, at night
with muddy boots and beer. You bet your ass!

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