"What It Was" first appeared in the The Offbeat, 2011
What It Was
What is that, floating in the creek?
I can see it, swiftly passing the trees,
careening along in the muddy flood,
peaked, finally, after today's rain.
At first, I think, shoe, but then shovel,
frisbee, sled, and then maybe just a log.
Bobbing in the fast murky water,
it's indistinguishable, a contorted shadow
taken physical form, caught between
moon beams and flickering fire.
If I run down the hill, to the bank,
I will be too late to get a closer glimpse.
Already, it's nearly to the bridge
where it will disappear from sight.
