By: G. Louis Heath

I am looking at the motorboats racing up
And down, going nowhere it seems, in the

Pursuit of pleasure. This is recreation on
The mighty river that runs through my town.

I sit on a bench fabricated of steel to deter
Local vandals. I worry a while about the

Vandals from my perch on the wide river.
Yet, this bench is a steel fortress that can

Resist, so I desist. I go on to worry about
Where I will go for lunch and that ties me

Up a bit. Nothing gets decided, so I shall
See how I feel when the light turns green at

The intersection. I worry about my grandkids
But not long as they are doing well. I worry

Whether I might be scammed as I browse the
Internet. I think about some bad times a half

Century ago and then how much longer I can
Live. For now, I will just watch the boats play

On the water, causing waterfowl to fly, to fly
So free above me in a moment to capture now.

###

G. Louis Heath, Ph.D., Berkeley, 1969, is Emeritus Professor, Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa. He enjoys reading his poems at open mics. He often hikes along the Mississippi River, stopping to work on a poem he pulls from his back pocket, weather permitting. He has published poems in a wide array of journals. His books include Leaves Of Maple and Long Dark River Casino.