we climbed up onto the barges
idle on the southern riverbank
let our feet dangle
some thirty feet above the waterline
tried to make up our minds
as to how we would get home, or
if we were already there
--
the river is up these days
the marshy lowlands down the levee slope
blur the line between river and shore
a cell tower rooted in
among that mushy green
we looked way up, towards the top
and I listened to stories
about the boys
who tried to climb the tower
and the girls
on the ground, holding two drinks apiece
losing their minds
November, 2012