Bridge Building

Bridge Building

We're building, plank by plank, a bridge
Into the water, hidden by the mists.
The future. Sweating, shaking, we're
Both scared, we glance at the cold
Black shock of the river flowing
So fast beneath us - not wanting to
Stare; not wanting to dare it to
Tear our work away again.

We never learned the trick of
High arches. We're not engineers.
We build far too close to the water.

Hand in hand we venture to the bridge's edge,
Each looks back at the other. I mention
Plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas.
Her eyes smile. We move out a little farther.