We hopped in the truck for a short drive

I was looking for a place for my pup to dive

Our neighborhood sits on the river but it seems everyone wants a sliver

Big houses line it

There are fences at the water’s edge

A marshy swamp is at its banks

Even in the sun some days I can’t find it

I had to think

So we drove to other side of the river

Just a mile

I could see across

Blue but not as grand as the Nile

The truck door opened like floodgates

My pup jumped out, he couldn’t wait

Golden locks floating on four paws

We jogged toward the trees

Sunglasses and tennis ball

I felt the breeze

We ran past the baseball fields and the rec center

Beyond the signs that told us not to enter

Through the brush

It was a clandestine mission

What a rush

Past the signs that said, “Private docks, no diving”

I heard a chopping sound, surely someone was there

I froze

The chopping sound seemed to come from nowhere

I looked around, my pup’s tail standing still

Chop, chop

Up in the pine tree there was its red head and bill

A woodpecker searching for breakfast in that sacred place

In the forestry, the marshy escape

A little farther

Finally, there it was

That simple wooden pier jutting out into the water

We ran out onto it

There was a sudden thundering and shuddering of the wood beneath us

The tranquil water broke

A group of mallards took off from below

Then a spotless white egret, without a choke

The river echoed back

Billy dove into the water, the birds were too fast

I chucked his tennis ball

He paddled through the water and brought it back

We pushed repeat 20 more times

Didn’t spend a dime

No one caught us in that secret spot

A little sliver of delight

Some of our best fun yet

A successful reconnaissance mission with my pup

During daylight

On the Lafayette