Dipper
Lake glitters today
family SUVs disgorge, sunglasses hunted
factor 40
but you know snow-melt currents surge beneath the ducks
and under stand-up paddleboarders.
Meet shingle, rock, slime.
Ankles, shins, thighs astonished
by biting surface
outraged as you wade on,
furious with rock, slime, weeds.
Breathe. Kick. Pull.
Acknowledge the persistence of life
send bubbles past constrictions
and wait for the fire
that prickles through nerve endings
and says yes, this will not defeat me,
I can bob here with minnows and grebes.
Invincible
until the shore calls –
it’s time for a towel, a mug of tea
and chattered revelations.
