bow fishing, age 10

bow fishing, age 10

for Nebraska Youth Camp

the dock hovers

between undisturbed skies

the water broken

only near its edge

by cattail

and algae

before dinner I grab a bow

paddle a canoe into

the reeds

stand against the moving surface

buoyant

nock an arrow

pull the bow

tight

hold

balance

I hear semis

whining past

on the interstate

balance

I hear cottonwood

leaves rattling

old limbs groaning rubbing

each other as the sky

darkens and the first drops

cast hoops

across the surface

balance

I hear the fish

a ripple breaking

the surface

the sun

hardly touching them

the angle

making them seem

one or two feet farther

than they are

balance

I choose

a white flash

aim low

spend arrows

one two

three

lose patience

release the rest

into the heart

of the swirl

rocking

swaying the canoe

almost going in

head first

one shaft

finds a target

reappears

half-way

twitches spins

with a submerged

struggle

I wait for the shaft

to settle

then paddle over

take hold

of the arrow draw the

fish into the light

its eyes are glass lozenges

dull

filmy

I slide it back in

give it a shove

watch it spin

out toward the middle

flank to the sky