kayaks

won't let you sleep through the surf
wet wake-up
you've broken all the rules
the kayak gods have designed
a little like the time you decided to quit
your job and move to utah
or israel
or move in with a woman in thailand
with her sisters and kids
your bicycle and backpack
the heat of the equator
the taste of mango

the swell came in out of nowhere
and threw me off course
but i didn't want to fight it
take the long way around
to that uninhabited island
where you step carefully
over the coral living shoreline
it may be the shortest distance
in your journey
years from now only a flick of memory
a taste of holy water

--- e b bortz

(published in split w*sky 6, 2001)