Pirate Mud Bucket

My marsh day ditty

Pirate Mud Bucket

and Pirate Hazels

set off to the marsh

at low tide

on a winter day

to find

some crabs

maybe “10…

thousand!”

we agreed.

We turned the

shells

upside down

looked under a

heavy rock

scraped out

crab holes

in the sand

parted the moss

in the water

like flowing green hair

in a bathtub

or lazy river

and pulled out the fat pieces

of green kelp

exclaiming

“Plastic bags!

green plastic bags!”

but after examination

and a little

education

decided

no

“Fat kelp!”

I could stare

all day

at my son

Pirate Mud Bucket

digging for loot

collecting “king oysters”

muddying his shoes

despite my pleas—

which I

eventually

gave up —

to not get

his shoes

dirty

but who am I

kidding?

This is everything

Pirate Hazels

has ever

dreamed

of.

What’s a good pirate

to do

but obey her captain?

I

(Accidentally!

But in the end

it was worth it)

wiggled the soles

of my white shoes

into the muddy shore

to get a closer look

at the “green plastic bags”

that we learned

were kelp

that can be flung

for fun

or no reason

at all

from a stick

or large shell

along the shore

and I stopped praying

to not get dirty

and spare my shoes

and started praying

Lord

bless this boy

thank you

for this moment

of Holy.

I —

Pirate Hazels

Currently pronounced

with a lisp

On the end

The “s”

From

Two

Missing front teeth

“Hazelths”

experienced

all the goodness

of God

like euphoria

in the marsh

that day

like

opening a window

into Heaven

I got to

live within a peek

of Paradise.

FOR SIXTY WHOLE MINUTES.

Thank you

thank you

thank you

To God.

Gloria!

In the mud.