The smooth drone of boats
On the water
Ricochets through the air
As I toss the shiny red Frisbee
Into the sky

Mom sits
Undaunted by the sounds of the river
Of children laughing
Of birds singing
Of boats humming
She reads
Engaged in her book

Soon, it gets hot
And we go for a swim
Remember your life jackets, Mom calls
We yell and laugh
In the green water
While Raven, tied to a tree,
Watches eagerly
And suddenly breaks free

We see her come running
And mock panic rises
As her black body
Bounds into the water
She tackles us with her claws
And licks our faces
With her sloppy, wet tongue

Later, we go for a boat ride
The whole family
And Raven, too
We drive all the way to one end
Then all the way to the other
Pausing, of course,
For a quick jump into the water
To cool off




We come back to our quaint little cabin
And Mom begins supper
Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob
Pasta salad, soda, beans
All laid out
On our red checkered tablecloth

For dessert, s’mores
By the flaming campfire
And after that,
We all gather
In our tiny living room
For a movie

I fall asleep halfway through
And Mom sends me to my bed
Where I drift off
And as I sleep,
I can still feel the soft wake
Of the river.