Artifact

When I was young
my family moved to Florida.
I still remember the river in our backyard.
The Banana;
threshold of freedom and wonder.

To me, the river's reach was
         infinite.
I was Lewis, and my brother Clark,
as we skipped across the breaks in our dingy
whose engine went well beyond excessive.

My brother, four years my senior,
assumed the title of Captain.
But I was not mutinous; I got to be the
    1st mate.
          navigator.
                crew.
We set sail
for exploration and adventure.
We trolled shallows so clear
         it seemed we were floating through the air.
We mazed through underwater sand dunes,
         whose nearly undetectable connections rose so high
         they could make even dingys run aground.
We fished lagoons that were caked in algae
         and held more fish than water.
         And of course,
We hunted for hidden treasure.

We never found it back then; but now,
            living where the waters freeze,
                         I treasure those times.