A Snake in the River

Poem

There is a snake in the river. 
Your toes go numb on the shore. 
Your pants can't roll up high enough
so you shed them on the rocks
smoothed by historic storms. 

It slithers in the shimmering shallows,
staying in place amidst the current. 
You want to chase it
because you don't know what it's chasing. 

You bend low and resist the urge
to shoot back up…