How I Got Hooked on Writing
I thought I’d share one of my earliest memories of falling in love with stories. I was blessed with two wonderful grandmothers—both strong in their faith, both best friends for life. One inspired my love for cooking, and the other nurtured my love for storytelling.
The storyteller of the two was known around the community as Miss Eva. One hot summer day, while we sat on a levee fishing, she told me a silly little poem she’d written as a young girl. If she was about ten at the time, that would make the poem more than 115 years old now. I still remember how tickled I was that she could take a handful of words and turn them into something that made me laugh.
And just like one of the fish we were hoping to catch… I was hooked. Words have fascinated me ever since.
Fishing
By Eva Etoile McCann Couvillion
I got a little fishing worm; I couldn’t stand to look.
I put it down upon the ground, and jabbed it with the hook.
I threw the line into the creek; the cork, it bobbed about.
I jerked the line into the air. I’d caught a great big trout.
That old line caught in a tree; oh my that wasn’t fair.
I couldn’t get the line at all; my trout was hanging there.
He flipped and flopped in the air, for quite a long time.
The only way to get him out was to cut that old line.
He fell so far away from me then, he flipped and flopped about.
He reached the water’s edge; I had lost that big old trout.
I got another hook and tied it on the line.
I jabbed the worm; I’d get a bigger fish this time.
I watched the cork float for quite a while. Then I’d say it hurtled.
I pulled it slowly to the bank; and then I saw the turtle.
I sadly took my line up and wound it with a swish.
Slowly, I went back home again, for I knew I couldn’t fish.
It’s funny how certain moments—like a silly little poem shared on a hot summer day—stay with us for a lifetime. That’s influence. My grandmother’s love for words didn’t just entertain me; it shaped me. Others played a part too, of course, but this was one of the earliest seeds planted in my writing journey.
So now I’m curious:
Who or what influenced you early on and helped steer you toward the road you’re traveling today? How has that shaped who you are? Leave a comment below.
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I love this poem and had never heard it before! She was a special lady.
Yes, Gwen, she was a special lady and very talented. I could only remember the part about putting the worm on the ground to jab i with the hook. I had to go look it up in her collection of poems.