POSTCARD: JUNE, 1993 by Andrew Buckner

blonde hair parted sideways—
the freckled child, I, finds solace
in the fist-sized crayfish scattering
with buoyant, quick-witted bounces

from submerged rock
to submerged rock,

the cool wetness of bare feet
in the shallow, gurgling stream,
the rough feel of wood on a dock,
the idea of minimalism

(before it was a known word
to the child, I)

punctuated with joyful relish
by the echoing slap
of the curved fishing hook
reverberating,

reacting to
the crisp waves,
the early morning
waters

of Sharbot Lake
in Ontario, Canada

the sway of the tiny motor boat
the child, I, rode upon to fish, to play,
to become one
with this secret place

where the child, I, foraged,
built waterside forts
with scattered sticks
once submerged

in surrounding mud, grass,
assorted
foliage
with

an active,
imaginative, ten year old’s heart

as the shoulder-shaped, uniform
wooden cabins lining the
slumping, sighing backdrop
of this nostalgic,

postcard-like scene

fill the air with the
once isolated,
now harmonizing,
now orchestral sounds

of nearby
games,
excited music,
adult chatter

as the heavy, smoky scent
of cooked fish
teases the hungry senses
of the child, I

and briefly,
all too briefly,

the routine gold
of family, nature—
long lost to time,
maturity,

the outside world—

is rediscovered,
mined
with an active,
imaginative

ten year old’s heart

by all.

 


Andrew Buckner is a multi award-winning poet, filmmaker, and screenwriter. His short dark comedy/horror script Dead Air! won Best Original Screenwriter at the fourth edition of The Hitchcock Awards. His recent volume of verse The Burden of All the Beautiful Things was a finalist in the Poetry - General section of the 2024 American Writing Awards. Buckner also received second place in the Literary- Fiction - Coming of Age category of the Spring 2025 Bookfest Book Awards competition for his novella Exitus Marquee. Also a noted critic, author, actor, and experimental musician, Buckner runs and writes for the review site AWordofDreams.com.

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