DAVIN II

Your kayak
glides between barrier islands
and mountain flows
the slender keel
carving delicate wakes
gloam-blue and pine-green,

the summer blue
of fiberglass,
unbending
the saffron glow of
yellow paddles
and ruddy glow
of red nylon,
reflecting,

Boston, Ravel, Monk,
lilting
through your tranquil chamber

floating at the edge
of eventide
the vibrant hint of something
already descending
into the pale haze of night,

casting
reeling
releasing
all that you’ve hoped for,

until twilight comes
and the paddles lap
in the deep night
and dip beneath Aries,

peacefully now
your kayak
drifts beyond the composition.

Today, April 8, 2021, is my Son’s 28th Birthday. It is the first birthday his brother and I are observing in his absence. The images and poem came to me as a reflection of Davin’s true spirit in the natural world; his beloved kayak, a rod and reel, the tunes that shaped his life, and the lifetime of scores that he composed. If he were here on this beautiful day, I believe this is how he would choose to celebrate his life. — Davin, my son, I love you forever…

© Deborah Garcia 2021, All rights reserved
Images by Deborah Garcia