Ahh, thinking of vacation.
The mountains, greenbrown, golden
Vast, rolling, cool and shady.
How was it last summer,
Mid August hypothermia?
Tubing down the river,
Too long in that water turned chill.
Too shady and breezy cool wet,
Too long. This bend, just round — must be,
Must be, how far can it be?
They said — but how far--
Can it be… ass is numb from sitting
In water. Hands are numb from paddling
In waters cool, but cold enough when
Too long. The laughter’s subsided.
My daughter’s friend is silently sobbing,
her thin frame quaking shivers.
Red metal thermos of hot chocolate would have been…
Are those the rocks we heard of?
The fallen trees? Where’s mom?
We’re all spread out, tiny dots off in the distant.
I’ve been paddling madly, fervently
On and on. On and on..
And then, there it is, beyond a thrash of rocks and fallen trees,
The landing, the concrete wall, embankment.
Scrumbling, lurching, limbs numbed, not functioning proper--
Mom’s entangled, must — scramble, footing branches, rocks
Musn’t slide, mustn’t fall. Hands trembling, grip weak.
Moms trapped between branches and rapids leaning forward
Heave up, push up over rocks. Good.
The girls, where are the girls?
They’re up, all fine, all good.
Save me. They all look at me.
Your lips are blue. You’re trembling.
I’m freezing. Needle hands, wobbly knees.
No sun, cool breezy shade.
Glorious summer day,
save when you’re blue trembled.
The mountains, greenbrown, golden
Vast, rolling, cool and shady.
How was it last summer,
Mid August hypothermia?
Tubing down the river,
Too long in that water turned chill.
Too shady and breezy cool wet,
Too long. This bend, just round — must be,
Must be, how far can it be?
They said — but how far--
Can it be… ass is numb from sitting
In water. Hands are numb from paddling
In waters cool, but cold enough when
Too long. The laughter’s subsided.
My daughter’s friend is silently sobbing,
her thin frame quaking shivers.
Red metal thermos of hot chocolate would have been…
Are those the rocks we heard of?
The fallen trees? Where’s mom?
We’re all spread out, tiny dots off in the distant.
I’ve been paddling madly, fervently
On and on. On and on..
And then, there it is, beyond a thrash of rocks and fallen trees,
The landing, the concrete wall, embankment.
Scrumbling, lurching, limbs numbed, not functioning proper--
Mom’s entangled, must — scramble, footing branches, rocks
Musn’t slide, mustn’t fall. Hands trembling, grip weak.
Moms trapped between branches and rapids leaning forward
Heave up, push up over rocks. Good.
The girls, where are the girls?
They’re up, all fine, all good.
Save me. They all look at me.
Your lips are blue. You’re trembling.
I’m freezing. Needle hands, wobbly knees.
No sun, cool breezy shade.
Glorious summer day,
save when you’re blue trembled.