Old Town Chipewyan

Battered blue scratched yellow bleeding through
Shores of smooth sand to shoals of limestone gouging
Tattered paint lines from wrapping cypress knees
My trusty companion, the Chipewyan canoe.

Through the white waters of Big Shoals to the
quiet tannic streams of the upper Sopchoppy
Under the buzzing bees upon the tupelo trees
Among the moss swaying oaks of the Suwannee.

Wooden bent shaft bending branch paddle lapping
the eddy line with a silent j stroking turning
straining to catch the otter as muscles burn while
In the bow rides one blissfully napping.

White brave upon the black tonic of Osceola
Drunk in a stupor of ceremonial cleansing
Purging years of inner conflicts called sinning
Looking back to see them sinking slow.

The Alligator bolts from the bank and bumps
the underbelly of the battered blue hull
Surfaces ahead and snorts in terrible rage
ready to charge waiting for the panic jump.

Secure in the battle scratched canoe of old
the challenge is met and I stroke ahead
waking the frantic one to a wide-eyed dread
This was not the peace of which I was told!

Swirling and sinking to the murky bottom
the denizen of the Suwannee has won the day
Never more to surface to sky's bright display
The gator stores his catch until its rotten.

Never again will I paddle in this Chipewyan
through this God forsaken stream of creatures wild
a gauntlet of gators and snakes smelling foul
Take me away from this infestation of dying.

And so the white brave paddles again alone
decrying all upon the banks of black and gold
hard to make that j stroke as he is getting old
Chipewyan on rivers of death and life getting along.