Utah’s summer savior was
Our hose-water
Itchy-knee
Plasticky kiddy pool;
Nemo’s flaking scales
Holding on to the floor
Trying not to drift away.
Into that misshapen port,
We breathed our beings.
Panting, turning the water valve
With our puny might
You yelped your hyena howl,
The dormant scorching water
Licking like fire across your toes,
Its polarity brought you back.
It’s your 8th birthday.
We stood over the front like Timpanogos stood over us.
You, the angel dressed in white, submerging yourself as
We pursed our lips in anticipation for your rise,
Our families seated for the highlight of the year.
Ascending from the water, the lifeblood in your eyes
Rushed to our hearts with sappy substance,
Fueling our joyous cries, our ticklish smiles.
Echoing from my youth,
Our boyish laughter followed me:
In glass bottles shattering against
The alley behind your old house, or
When I slid off the road
Driving through pouring rain on
The freeway facing home.
When I hear that noise,
I yearn for you to sweep me off my feet, to
Take me back to Utah summers; but
You aren’t there, you aren’t there.
Still, it slightly fills the cavity
Seeing you in memory,
Splashing through the water
Wading towards me.
