Wearing Flip Flops
Wearing flip flops
He paddles a plastic kayak
Up the river toward the grotto
He rented the kayak illegally
Which is significant because until now
He has been law abiding
His entire adult life,
Excepting once with the neighbor’s marijuana
The law prohibits the renting of kayaks
From the river bank but if you walk down there
You find kayaks for rent
He is vacationing in Kauai
Last night he met a woman in a bar
And they walked on the beach in moonlight
But that was all, but that was something
He paddles past the barges
That carry the tourists to the grotto
He paddles farther up the river
Beyond the grotto
Until the river bends and there is a tree
With a round, round top
Like a dandelion gone to seed
Mountains on all sides
This takes only a little while
He paddles back
Engages in an informal race
Along the way
With another kayaker
Wins, gets to the river bank first
Returns the kayak to its owner
Returns
The tree was beautiful, round
I tell you this