Homemade Swimming Hole

I clamber up the ladder,
its cold metal bars
slippery
from previous jumps.
I grab the soft white rope
high in hand,
pick up my feet,
and time stops
before I plunge
into chocolate water.
Seconds later
I resurface.
Moist evening air
surrounds me
as I float on my back,
bewitched
by a darkening sky.
I am twelve.
There is no better place
on Earth

Michael Stoltz, age 12
Dresden, Maine
Center for Teaching and Learning (Edgecomb)
Teacher: Nancie Atwell