{Linking up with Amber Haines at The Run Amuck to share concrete words, where we practice writing by communicating the abstract through concrete things…thank you, Amber!}

At the edge of Flowing Springs
The water hardly flows past the jumping boulder anymore
Old summers flicker by as I blink
The feel of hot granite against palms and soles
The rock rising from the bank
Sprawling into the water
A behemoth sleeping
I flung myself from it
Again and again, ignoring its strength
I turn back to the edge of the spring
Rocks spread out on the shoreline
My eyes scan the collection
I bend in erratic search
__there! no__
__hmm__maybe this one
I turn it over and over
Must be flat__nope not this one…
And smooth__hmmm__not quite (drop)
And fit__juuuust so
Wedged between my thumb
And forefinger
Oh to find one!
The treasure tucked in my hand, I take a breath
Survey the water’s smooth surface
Blink against the strobelike sunlight filtering through the trees
Hitch in the waist
Bend to the right
Swing back and flick
Shoulder__elbow__wrist__pointer
My heart rate quickens
Release
The rock and the breath in one exhalation
For a moment,                the rock defies gravity
Skims along the surface
I listen
Szip__szip__szip__plunk
It finally loses faith and slips below the water
I blink back the sunshine again
Reaching back to those summers
Of raucous leaping
Unhampered by height or fear
I sneak a smile at the still boulder
Scramble up the smooth sides
Stare down the water– fight common sense
and
jump

~suelarkinsweems ’13