Steelhead

Roll up my blanket before the fishers and swimmers show;

Perfect time to jump, with the melt off driving the river at full flow.

By noon, there’s an army of teens and young adults armed with tea, Coke, lemonade and beer

My friends finally appear

For me, it will never grow old

Gotta cool down from the High Desert heat and the water’s cold

Twenty feet from the rock to the river, for the millionth time off the falls I leap

And the current shoots me away and sucks me down deep

Go with it and come up half a minute after.

Climb out, friends, drinks, swimming and laughter.

Thank God for Steelhead Falls, cliffs and deep water