by Hiram Larew

Pretend for a minute
That you’re a duck
In muddy water
And that whatever’s teasing your legs
Is starting to make you nervous

Pretend that you’re around sixty
And you’re not so sure if you want to know
What’s in the message
Even though someone who’s skipping
And smiling
Just handed it to you

Pretend that today you’ll have the chance
To say whatever’s important
Just before something drags the love of your life
Away feet first
Pretend you can tell by the woodsy smell
Out back
That it’s now or never.

I rarely think of  a poet as being my favorite but if I was forced to choose it might well be Hiram Larew.