Boat
The mist gently rolled across the surface of the slow stream, twirling like a specter dancing across an enchanted glass ballroom. The vapors rise and engulf the stream creating a thick, twenty-foot capsule.
My breath becomes uneasy as the humidity ebbs and flows from my lungs. My vision blurs as the light of the morning sun bounces off water droplets creating a canvas of prisms all along the horizon. My boat lies high in the water, even though it has passed its capacity. The stem and stern aligned perfectly as the gentle edge of the stem cut through the water.
I couldn’t find my paddle as it fell out what seemed to be years ago. With the oxygen to my brain so low, I failed to remember how I got there. In my hand I held a wallet. I opened it, but only found an ID that was not my own. The man was sharply dressed. His tie and shirt looked pressed and fit. His hair was groomed and maintained. Each strand of hair looked as if a master artisan placed it. There was no credit cards or business cars. Pictures of family I had not known and friends I wished to know populated a small multi-paneled plastic portfolio. I opened the billfold, only to find that when I pulled a hundred dollar bill out another hundred appeared. I placed the contents back and continued to grasp the soft leather in my hand.
My other hand fumbled around and landed on top a resin pen. I ran my hand over the smooth glossy feel of the pen. The body was ornate with swirls of blue and black that mixed to form a beautiful haze. I took the cap off and found a beautiful gold fine point nib. I pressed the nib against my hand and worked the flexible nib but it did not write. The bladder was empty. I fumbled my hand again and found no ink for my pen to consume.
As I turned my head, I could see a bottled of ink next to a notebook in a bag. I thrust towards the bag with my hand. But I could not pick it up. The wallet would not release. I thrust my hand again and stretched my fingers but it would not budge.
I cried. For days I did not do a thing. I breathed. I lay with no energy to rise from my boat. I heard motors going in the distance. I passed the laughs of merry children as they swung off ropes into the water. I heard the splashes of dogs as they paddle towards gleeful owners. But I had no energy. I was spent and without paddle. I could not drop my wallet and row. I wanted to control my boat as it gently moved down the stream. I wanted to stop and play. To capture the beauty that lies above in beautiful prose. But now as I watch from the shore, I can merely recount it as a dream.