nichepoetryandprose

In the 1970s, when my husband and I had only known each other for about a month, we were stranded for three hours on a ferry that quit half way across the river.  The ferryman just shrugged, said he’d be back, and rowed away in the lifeboat. 

We were desperate.  For an hour, we skipped stones across the water.  I don’t believe there was a single stone or pebble or grain of sand left on the ferry deck!  We talked, of course, and probably found out how much we had in common. We’ve been together for almost 33 years. 

When the ferryman returned, he brought some sandwiches his wife had made for us and the news we would have to wait two more hours for the Coast Guard to come up the river from Saint John to tow us to the shore. 

Needless to say, we were eventually rescued.   And I have never experienced a ferry breakdown again.

some of these would be excellent for skipping

skipping stones

~

collect your stones

select for flat and smooth

stones with knowledge

embedded flight and float

pile your stones

~

hold your hand

like this, curl your finger

round the stone, flat curve against

your palm, coddled

cover of a book

you never want to end

~

swoop back

arm and index finger

parallel to shore, release

                                              count

                                                         the

                                                                  skips

                                                                              the way

                                                                                            water

                                                                                                        flirts

                                                                                                                 with edge

                                                                                                                                     of skim

and

sinking

stone

~

concentric rings

connect and scatter

~

select another stone

~

© Jane Tims 2011