Shoes by a stream
socks tossed ashore
A boy’s feet sunken
while fast moving
waters winnow
a forgetfulness
of clay and earth
gravity and dirt.

He glides
from aquatic
stone to boulder
to grey granite slab
no slip and slide game
in synch with the timing
of his quick-beating heart
and the smooth serenade
of wet-lapping
luxuriousness.

A smile grows into a grin
big, bright, beauteous
– as gracious as healing itself
beams brilliance back
through briars, branches,
and the evergreens’ needles
to the sky, clouds and twinkling stars
caught in a moment’s
still life
washed in dripping
faded indigo watercolors
by the morning’s daylight
moonrise.