Estuary

Wading chest deep
into the estuary,
exploring the place
where river meets ocean,
I carry my child on my back.
Her arms are around my neck,
her cheek against my shoulder.
Birds call,
trees dapple sunlight,
a tide is going out.
I feel the push of the river,
her contentment through my skin.
I shift her weight and think:
This I must remember.

The ocean is around the bend
but here
we taste fresh water.

^

Biography

Kathleen Boyle Hatcher has written much but submitted little. All along she claimed it was because she didn't have the correct postage handy. Therapy and e-mail submissions have helped. Recently her essays have appeared in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, and her poetry has been included in the Canadian poetry anthology "Oval Victory". She works in the field of adult literacy.