- Wading in Shallow Water
Go ahead and wade in the water, child.No one is watching and the temperature is fine.
I saw you standing there last summer,a crooked smile in your eye and a ragingfire deep in your swollen belly.
You dipped your big toe in,then quickly took it out likea one-man Hokey Pokey.
This water ain't deep as the pool pepperedwith floating bodies near the bayou.It ripples and sways to its own beat,singing a slow song perfect for tired feet.
Go ahead and wade in the water, child.Remove those chains and be free. [End Page 237]
Amanda D. Thomas is a staff writer for the Douglas County Sentinel in Douglasville, Georgia. Her poems have appeared in The Marr's Field Journal, The Red Booth Review, Megaera, and Events Quarterly.