wetwocanoe

We Two Canoe

For Kajetan

We two canoe

out into the marsh

between the secret

cattail islands

with slow dips of

short plastic paddle tips

that lick water like

lapping silver moon-dog tongues.

Quiet and slow

we go

centimeter by centimeter

past a standing heron

the pterodactyl night caller.

Around the corner

to our favorite spot.

You climb out and

push down with careful feet

the vertical rushes

until there is surface area enough

for us both to stand.

We pull the canoe

onto our makeshift shore

and tramp along

the floating grass hands

Until we come to a

spot where

we can lay with our

backs flat

and our legs stretched long.

My heels will hang over and touch the cold

black water.

It is nice to watch the empty sky

I try to see the stars behind the blue.

The wind shuffles

through a queue of

tall grasses

they bend low

like a row of pilgrims deep in solemn prayer.

The sun pokes between

and lights in spots

our legs and arms

We will have more freckles to count after dinner.

The shadows change

and we become thirsty

we remember the secret ice creams on sticks in the freezer

waiting beneath the Black Walnut branches.

We push our tin vessel out

and spider climb in

to ferry from our floating island

home

until another afternoon.

©2008 Hillary Swanson. All rights reserved.