I decided to become a surfer
in my home on the banks of the Ohio. 
This is what happens when a boy
is pulled away from his 7th grade
Christmas present: he buys it
at forty-two. There’s still enough
Carolina coast in my blood to brave
hurricanes and palmetto bugs,
but too much Bluegrass to know
which waves can be tamed. 
Today Nature gave me an ass-
kicking recognizable from Lexington
to low country. Tonight I changed
my surfboard fin. That oughta do it.