The fire lookout tower
has been removed
and on the ledge
just below the tree line
a stumped climber
can’t decide which way
as I search for a new voice
in the swimming hole
where waist becomes hip
in fast water and I find
the familiar sounds of a child
but as soon as I get close
the current pushes us apart
and I can’t decide whether
to dive down toward
the splintering distance
or reach up to the pines
so small at this elevation
© 2012 Kevin McLellan and Jeffrey Perkins
