someone’s suggests a boat ride,
a paddle through the pond,
and somehow i find myself,
stuck in the stern,
pushing my feet over and over again,
tugging along with a girl
and two boys i hardly know.

we reach the center,
cool and calm,
too deep to swim,
and i suggest a switch.
and then the tired trudge
of swapping seats, 
boat sinking further
into the give and take
of our man made waves.

i slouch at the back,
sandal clad feet dipping below the surface,
face towards the sun,
thinking about how i wouldn’t much mind
to slip off this boat
into this cool blue pond
and float on the surface,
until my mother comes calling
or the sun goes down,
whichever happens to come first.