From 'The Double' Xb Poem by Morgan Michaels

One day after about a year or so of marriage, Miggi invited the General out fishing. The General was a keen fisherman, and awfully fair- only rarely keeping an undersized fish for purely economical reasons. They left the harbor soon after sunrise, in Miggi's inboard. Miggi was a fine mechanic and kept the boat in tip-top repair. The well-rationed General filled the tank. For Miggi, life revolved around the sea since childhood. It calmed him to see its violet and silver glintings and winkings when he felt the onset of evening's restlessness. He also loved the harbor in the morning when the sun bleached everything white and the colors of the boats gleamed, brilliantly and pelicans plied the sky. They puttered through the arms of the Malecon, embarrassed to break the silence. Out at sea, they picked up speed, turned, and headed along the coast, till hours later, they saw the first islets of the Archipelago, its crystal shoals teeming with tarpon. Meanwhile, they drank beer, the only alcoholic beverage harmless in the morning. When the islets began to pass regularly, to starboard and lee, Miggi said to the General, passing a hook through the head of a pilchard and dropping the line overboard.

'There is something I must tell you'.

The General swallowed and grunted. He was enjoying himself for the first time in weeks, having opened his shirt to the warming sun, revealing his generous belly. He did not wish his enjoyment spoiled by news, which usually meant someone was about to die or had just done so. But he looked out to sea and prepared himself dutifully for its coming.

'Miriam and I will soon have a child'.

The General choked on his beer and foam ran from his nostrils. He coughed violently. Then he sat up, smiled, cleared his throat and said:

'You cannot....'