Wolf Trail
we follow the wolf trail
not because we are wolves
but because one of us is wounded
and the other two are walking
all of us away from childhood
we find a lake with access
to the semi cold water of early Summer June
I swim naked out to the middle
with the sun glazing my face
breast stroking and frog kicking
at a turtles pace
take a moment
to disengage from the pack
to center myself because if I don’t
I know I will lose the anchors in my self
that make me say
god I love swimming out to the middle
of the lake
after I have returned to the shore
and lay naked on my towel in the grass
drying off in only a matter of minutes
and my wounded friend replies
once I could have said the same
but I can’t enjoy anything in this state
even though it was still good