Our Side of the Creek

We piled planks, sheets of tin,

& sandbags across the creek

till the bright water rose

& splayed both sides,

swelling into our hoorah.

Our hard work brought July

thrashers & fat June bugs

in decades of dead leaves.

Water moccasins hid in holes

at the brim of the clay bank

as the creek eased up pelvic

bones, hips, navel, & chest,

to eye level. When the boys

dove into our swim hole

we pumped our balled fists

to fire up their rebel yells.

The Jim Crow birds sang

of persimmon & mayhaw

after a 12-gauge shotgun

sounded in the deep woods.

If we ruled the day an hour

the boys would call girl cousins

& sisters, & they came running

half-naked into a white splash,

but we could outrun the sunset

through sage & rabbit tobacco,

born to hide each other’s alibis

beneath the drowned sky.