Today
Was a beautiful, sunny day so Lauren and I
Decided to venture
Down to Oscar river.
At the last minute I invited
Will because he has
Been the most considerate and
Thoughtful friend during my
Phase of loneliness.
More caring than even my
Overprotective parents.
So with the sun on our backs and
Dandelion seeds in our hair
The three of us set off to a special section
Of the river where it splits in two and cuts round
An island.
The water is shallow,
Cool and sweet,
But deep enough so you
Can still swim.
Will made a swing,
Out of some old rope we found, and a branch
And we were immersed in this
Picture-perfect, technicolour world.
All we did was laugh and swim
In our clothes
And lie in the sun.
I hadn't been sure if
Lauren would like or
Even accept Will but
She had taken one look
(Down) at him and smiled.
We were still there as the colours blended together
In the sky and when the
Sun sunk softly behind the island.
When stars winked above us
Lauren brought a
Bottle of vodka out of
The picnic basket.
She had managed to sneak it out somehow.
It was my first time drinking vodka and
It was disgusting and burned
My throat like liquid fire.
The second sip was better.
And we
Lay on our backs and told each other
About all the bad things
We had ever done.
When we had almost finished the
Bottle between us Will asked why we
Called the river
Oscar River.
Oscar River isn't its real name but
Lauren and I kept our mouths
Clamped shut because the drink had
Loosened our tongues and the
Dark secrets would spill out
Into the lovely evening and
Black shadows would weave
Tendrils into our smiles
And cast them down.
He didn't press for an answer
And that was good I suppose.
But today reminded me that
Not all days are bad and
Although Oscar River is a
Sad place it's wondrous too,
Partly because it has an
Afflicting secret hanging
Between the trees
Like Will's swing.
(found between the nettles by the side of the road, on the bridge over Oscar River)