A boy and his uncle
kneel on the shore
of a sunset pond
The colors of the trees
against a clear Missouri sky
reflect on the calm surface
before them
The boy’s small sailboat
tethered to a fish line
leans to one side
His uncle shows him how
to right it
Old man, young boy
look up from their work
to fix the image of sharply
uniformed drakes
with bright green caps
leading ducklings
in ever changing formations
as their flotilla slides by
This is the memory the boy
will keep about summer