I have been in a very transitional frame of mind this past month or so
Moving forward in life, and letting my heart heal from a mighty blow
And today at work, whilst day-dreaming out my office window
I remembered a time my granddad told me about this amazing fish he let go
Now my Granddad Welstead, was the most amazing man I have ever known
Even when my grandma died, he still was smiling when he was alone
Although he said within his heart he kept her always
And missed her terribly and cried most days
But this true story is about a time he took me fishing as a boy
And when he caught this beautiful carp, I think it was a coy?
I was about 8 or 9 and one summer holiday he took me to the canal
And I remember just looking at him setting up his fishing rod, and just thinking 'wow!'
He told me it was his fathers rod, which he gave him when he was small
And he said to me ,"Fishing my lad, is all about patience, that's the golden rule"
And as I sat beside him eating my sandwiches and looking at my float
Fumbling for sweets he had given me in my coat
He told me about when he fought in the Great World Wars and the German boat he sank
And in World war II when he got to drive a tank
He told me about England, in the olden days
When London was hidden with fog and a misty haze
Then suddenly he smiled and laughed and gave a joyful shout
I jumped up and said "What you caught Granddad? a shark or a trout?"
He gave me that twinkle gaze in his eye and smiled "No my boy"
"It's a carp I think, a real beauty, I think it's a coy?"
It seemed like forever and ever watching him reel in that fish
And I was imagining my meal tonight, of fish and chips
When he finally brought it to the bank and showed me his catch
A golden, green and brown fish with a bright yellow patch
"Wow Granddad it's beautiful" I said
"look at those big black eyes it has coming out of his head"
It was back then, the biggest and most beautiful fish I had ever seen
The sort of fish fisherman think about but can only dream
"Can we take it back home and eat it?" I asked him
"No my boy" he chuckled, "that would be a terrible thing"
He slowly and gently let the fish back in to the water
And told me whilst doing so "Such beautiful things don't deserve such slaughter"
He said that some things no matter how much we love them or want to keep them forever
You have to let go, even if that means you never see them again, and never means never!
He went on to explain that somethings, like the fish, are better in the water than on land
And someday in my life, I too will understand
he called it. 'letting the big one go'
And that the fish will always be happy and that we should be happy, that this we will know
I didn't fully understand back then my Granddads tale
To me a fish, was a fish, be it a carp or a whale
But now as I sit here day dreaming, looking out of my office window
I can say, granddad, that now, I understand why you let the 'big one' go.
