< Volume II: Issue 2 >
At the Lake When I Was Young
(With a tip of the hat to Bob Dylan)
by William Ogden Haynes
Most of the time I forget
the sound of wind in the high pines
and the way the sky kindled in late evening.
I don’t always remember
the turtle waddling over sandstone
and a lazy bass marking time
below the sunlit surface of the lake.
Most of the time I forget
all the meandering insects
and the cicada crackling in the brush.
I don’t often recall
standing on the dock at night,
the full moon like a yellowed parchment lampshade,
the clouds strolling past.
Most of the time I don’t remember
sailing close to the wind,
heeling over, our beers stable in gimbals
hanging from the lifelines.
And I sometimes forget
how we anchored in a cove
and ate sandwiches in the cockpit,
shaded by the biminy.
Most of the time I forget
spending evenings on the porch,
drinking wine, listening to crickets,
watching moths dance in the floodlights
to James Taylor and Billy Joel.
But that was a long time ago, and now,
I forget about all these things,
most of the time.
At the Lake When I Was Young
(With a tip of the hat to Bob Dylan)
by William Ogden Haynes
Most of the time I forget
the sound of wind in the high pines
and the way the sky kindled in late evening.
I don’t always remember
the turtle waddling over sandstone
and a lazy bass marking time
below the sunlit surface of the lake.
Most of the time I forget
all the meandering insects
and the cicada crackling in the brush.
I don’t often recall
standing on the dock at night,
the full moon like a yellowed parchment lampshade,
the clouds strolling past.
Most of the time I don’t remember
sailing close to the wind,
heeling over, our beers stable in gimbals
hanging from the lifelines.
And I sometimes forget
how we anchored in a cove
and ate sandwiches in the cockpit,
shaded by the biminy.
Most of the time I forget
spending evenings on the porch,
drinking wine, listening to crickets,
watching moths dance in the floodlights
to James Taylor and Billy Joel.
But that was a long time ago, and now,
I forget about all these things,
most of the time.
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