On the Basin

The old tire swing
Suspends me over the water at my folks’ camp,
My feet wallowing in the Atchafalaya.
I wonder how it’s possible for this ancient oak
To weather the urge to finally surrender and fail me,
To plunge me into the constant swashing of water
Eroding its purchase,
loosening its rooty grip on the soggy bank.

One day long ago, Grandmom and Pop
Tattooed him with a new pocket knife.
Today, the sunlight paints a silky finish on the sky
Towards which I swing,
Flying away with the summer birds.

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Meagan Michalk, age 17
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Teacher: Caroline Ancelet