“The River” by Alan Fox

Alan Fox

THE RIVER

for Joel

We were college best friends for three years,
kayaking the rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
I cherish our week in Glacier Bay,
and the night we hid from the grizzly.

My father tells me not to take chances.
I tell him that I am careful and will not
make a mistake, but I heard today
that you missed the eddy and the river embraced you.

This weekend when my new wife and I
hike the hills of England I will skip a stone
downstream and watch it sink
into the sparkling waters of memory.

from Rattle #44, Summer 2014

__________

Alan Fox: “At age 74 I’ve finally become a published author. My book People Tools was released in January, and ended up on The New York Times best sellers list. I’m now working on a follow-up to be released in the fall. Today is a good day to enjoy the pleasures of writing.” (website)

Rattle Logo