When I Was A Child

When I was a child,
I remember sitting on the dock
half listening to the old men
as they mended their nets; 
swinging my feet in the cool clear water
and gazing off toward the horizon.

The world was out there
across the smooth glass surface of the lake,
where one could skate if one imagined it,
dodging reflections of clouds
and gliding past brightly painted boats
that sat like figurines on a mirror. 

Out there, past the trees
that dipped their toes in the water like I did
and raised their arms to the sky,
waving in appreciation to the breeze
and drinking their fill
of early morning sunshine. 

The world was perched
on the crest of the farthest hill,
bathed in greens of every imaginable shade,
dancing with shadows cast
by clouds that teased the sun,
and it waved to me in the morning haze.

When I was a child, 
my world was bordered 
by the shores of that pristine lake
where I dreamed of hitching a ride 
on the back of a beautiful white swan
to meet the sunset on the other side.

The lake is quiet now; the old men gone 
all their nets are left unmended.
The sun and clouds still dance 
across the surface of the water
but the world is much bigger than before
and I wish I could be back on that dock forever.



february 2005
ŠJanet Reid




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