A green boat Fishing in blue water
The gulls circle the pier Calling their hunger
A wind rises from the west Like the passing of desire
Two boys play on the beach Laughing
Their gangling legs cast shadows On the wet sand
Then, Sprawling in the boat
A beautiful black fish.
Spicer sets a calm scene by the water, then lets a small catch change it. At first we see only pieces: a green boat, blue water, gulls circling the pier. The gulls call out their "hunger," a word that quietly sets the tone, because every image seems to be waiting for something. Even the wind that rises from the west is compared to "the passing of desire," a feeling that comes and fades like a breeze.
The two laughing boys are the lightest note in the poem. Their long, awkward legs throw shadows on wet sand, a detail that makes them feel real and slightly unfinished, caught between childhood and something older. The speaker mostly watches rather than comments, so the mood stays gentle, observant, a little wistful.
Then the last lines turn. The boat now holds "a beautiful black fish," and the word "black" cuts against all that green and blue. The poem ends there, without explanation, leaving us to feel the pull of beauty and hunger together.