In honor of my grandfather, Leonard J Collins, d. November 30, 2008
How vague those summer days seem:
Blazing Mississippi river,
glazed with oil, sleeping,
restless snake in midday sun
My grandfather shouted greetings
to the rough-throated barge men
waiting their turn as the dams
slowly slaked their thirst
I chased snapping turtles
to their muddy emergency exits,
sliding under scum-slippery surf
Wishing I, too, could dive into
that brackish meadow, keeper
of such expansive secrets,
and unearth each one.
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