Pieces of an Outing
by MFrostDelaney

Just sorting family pictures from a box …
There’s one of Uncle Bob and Ann the day
they said I dos. Then suddenly the clocks
within my mind tick back and show the way
to summer outings on my uncle’s boat,
as if a fresh breeze blew in from the bay …
where we would board, feel waves, the ocean’s float.
Then – flash – we’re out to sea where water’s gray.
My uncle puts out fishing lines and locks
them into place. We hold them taut, our grips
are tight against a breeze-turned-wind that rocks
the boat and never seems to stop. It tips
us back and forth. Then I remember night.
We’re headed back to shore on waves’ low dips,
and we can see the nearing harbor light.
It’s funny how the memory starts, then chips
away whatever pieces weren’t the best,
brings back a favorite, like a welcome guest.



 

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