Riff On Finney's Loons Poem by David McLansky

We sit upon the tethered dock
The lapping waters makes it rock
My son and I sit in the dark
The ripples casting silver sparks;

How peaceful is the black lagoon,
The darkness pierced by calling loons;
Are they calling for their mate?
We scan the darkness, in silence wait;

There is peace between father & son.
Shoulder to shoulder we sit as one;
As the boy grows older we will be at odds
No longer will I be a God

I’ll grow feeble as he grows strong
He’ll think he’s right and that I’m wrong
He’ll mock and scorn my weird opinions
Over him I’ll hold no dominion.

But for the moment we sit at peace
The oarlocks groaning needing grease
Frogs belch and boom beneath the moon
While in the darkness glides the loon