Cleaning Fish

January cold damp little snow. Cleaning two fish in the garage- a rainbow a brown both gifts. Dad taught me: Cut down behind the gill use the bend of the blade follow the spine flip repeat. Hold the tail slip the knife between skin and meat push let the knife do the work don’t waste meat. Two beautiful fillets. Half done with the brown his hands stiffen red and cold. He stops puts the knife down stretches them wipes them of slime blames the arthritis continues. His hands never get cold. His age never shows. Some day he will die I realize that now.

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