“The Last Day”

 

Tell them I loved this place,

the silver river running by

and the fish jumping

and the sweet dogs next-door rolling, 

glee in the grass.  

 

I hid glass beads in the reeds, 

and left behind painted slate for stepping stones, 

little delights to be discovered by the next.

 

I stand on the last night, 

my feet on the slick rock,

in the ferny underwater forest,

minnows nibbling my toes, 

darting around their mossy world.

The water is low,

slender stemmed white flowers poke out of the water, 

like mini alpine lotus.

The sun is setting,

the geese across the way

nesting on the sandbar, 

the heron flying overhead, 

prehistorically large like a pterodactyl, 

my river otter fishing, 

and I know 

they will love this place too.