fishing on the banks for smelt
nets dip in the silver
ribbons of tinfoil ready to be smoked
it wasn't all bad along the banks
sometimes it was nice
chicken frying, biscuits baking
cracking filberts with rocks on the walk
running dirty feet in the gravel
under the trees
using limbs to sweep the needles away
in my play house under the tallest tree
running obstacle courses through and under
to see who was the fastest
when kids ran small towns
parents ran each other into the ground
everyone was screwing everyone else's wife
and the children ran in the fields, hid in the barn
slept in sleeping bags under the stars
worrying, wondering, laughing
sometimes