Stream Swim

Through a tunnel of quivering leaf light,

I place my hand on a tree trunk, step down

a little embankment and over sharp gray stones.

Soon I’m slipping into stream shadows.

with light strewn stones beneath me

in the clear ochre streaming

wavering tiny clumps of water dust.

Reaching the strong currents funneling down towards me

before the boulder promontory, I’m swimming strenuously

up against the current until tiring, letting the surge

carry me down over a slimy hump of stone and let me go.

I’m floating over the clear expanse

of sunwarmed yellow pebble shallows.

Then dabbling in the dappling white sand pool

behind the high dark boulder.

A sungreen bullfrog mounted on his stone

remains unblinking as I swim up close enough

to discover the gleaming golden rim around his eyes.

I’m pleased to come as no shock to his system.

I glide, dallying with the light ripplings along the bottoms,

back to my thongs tipping on the sharp gray stones.

Standing deep in shadows now widespread,

my eye is drawn out to the bright bend upstream where

water rounded stones are being drenched and bleached with sun.

Leaving like foam, my spongy soles pad along

a path all soft with wood rot.

On the verge of the leaflit tunnel, the leaves

are so filled with molten brightness

I feel myself emerging through a hoop of sun.