we canoed on the wisconsin river four
days of wilderness wind water the trees
a closed screen on either bank depth of
water too suddenly shallow for power
craft sand always shifting our small group
alone except two anglers on farther shore
cars a shock when we paddled beneath a
bridge a quick storm a rainbow the green
on trees nearby and at the distant bend
dark to pale luminous tolkien has a line in
bilbo’s song “in every wood in every spring
there is a different green” here we were
awash with different greens we glided by
low cliffy areas riddled with holes vast
condominiums the gnat-filled swallows
swooping dipping pausing at their doorways
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2015.
