My Dreamboat is Gone

lawns dew frosty

 like white stubble on a beard

the rock bed shoulder 

 ride to the point of no return,

 the downhill to paradise

that hill too hard to get back up

from the banks of Beaver River

 turned around twice

 afraid of impending cold

 the sun goes down 

daylight savings 

no time left

 I drove there instead

sitting on a bench at the edge of the lake, 

 watching a family unload a canoe

 though i found an oar

and a bungee cord

 no nerve for Thanksgiving 

till the blossoms bloom in spring

then there goes my dream

the canoe in the back yard is gone

before the registration's checked

the dream boat is gone 

November 12, 2021