(or 30 x 30)

back sometime
in the early or mid-ninties
during a family reunion
for my mother’s side
the kings
i was off by myself for awhile
it was held at a shelter house
at tuttle creek
in manhattan, kansas
i was wading through a creek
that i had played in many times
i ventured further than ever
& found a spot in the creek
that formed a tiny lagoon
the creek water was literally emerald
like quarry water
it was so enchanting
i was wearing jean shorts
& and old pair
of hi-topped chucks
& walked around in the emerald water
i climbed the hill next to the lagoon
& looked for things to throw

there were many tree limbs
& stumps
that had been submerged in water
for so long
& then dried
that they were as soft as styrofoam
i could pick up huge logs,
punch them with my fist
& they’d splinter
& explode
into thousands of pieces
i felt like a superman

i began to punch and kick
every soft limb & stump
i could
throwing rocks & dirt clumps
into the water
& ripping down branches
i found an old car battery
& tossed it down the hill
it landed in the water

after and hour & much destruction
i stopped & looked around
the bushes were all trampled over
pieces of splintered wood was everywhere
there was dirt, wood, a car battery,
& pop bottles
(back when they were glass, not plastic)
in the now
dark brown water

walking away
i was so ashamed of what i’d done
i never knew i had that much power
to destroy something so prestine
& i never want to do it again