Remains

Remains

wait a day don’t go back for a day it’s not the tide as comes in and takes a baby’s shoe mama left there takes it tosses it in and out of the cup of the wave a baby’s shoe babies don’t need shoes anyway and glen went sockless all summer who thought about his feet on and off the clam flats tough as tripe those feet and those end of the year shoes when he wore them I’m just saying we passed on to a boy at church have for years so to see one bare foot him laying on the table like he was playing sleep after the picnic he must’ve gone into the boat with shoes water’s cold I suppose it’s only June and he’s a boy just finished second grade no first grade and he doesn’t think about shoes or buttons or his shirt need sewing or underwear he left on the floor by his bed wet when he knew I’d search for the shoes if I saw his bare feet and here he is and we undress him his shirt and shorts and look here look it’s not even his shoe it’s not we bought this pair together and the knot’s loose dry and loose but a pretty bow limp as it is a girl’s bow or a woman, the teacher maybe Miss What’s-her-face, Burhoe, right maybe she, listen I’m going to see about his shoes, I’m going and I bet the Reynold’s boy is missing one too take it over to him take it and maybe Glen’s are on the bank under a bush I bet they are I’m going up tomorrow I’m going up right now let’s go and look.