I found myself completely drawn in to this, Jan. It has such a rich, sensory wash about it: I love the shags “aping crucifixion”, “ocean-blood”, “rainbows” used as a verb, “dimple dances”: the poem is full of this precise, arresting imagery. I thought of Bishop’s “At the Fishhouses” reading it.
I take the final word “when” as the speaker contemplating his mortality, wondering when his “gift of life” will be done. For me the ending felt a bit sudden, a bit out of nowhere after the leisurely pace of the poem to that point. There are hints towards this theme earlier but I wonder if you might stretch the poem to another stanza, so the description of the eager trawlers takes up 2 stanzas, maybe. This would allow the ending to emerge more slowly. Also, the 2nd line of the final stanza is only 4 beats (which may have subconsciously added to the sense of hurry at the close)
I really enjoyed it. Others may well have a different take on my sole nit.
Mark
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