From the footbridge,
the Chippewa River opens
like an ancient history textbook:
 
deep wisdom, unspent anger,
complex currents running beneath
a deceptively placid surface.
 
A small boat zigzags past,
life-vested men seeking the bodies
of two swimmers lost to impulse.
 
Amidst sunlit brilliance,
green-grass love and pheromones,
good colleges teach caution,
 
patience and planning—knowledge:
when and where to swim,
innocence paid quarterly.
 
Memories like mayflies
briefly skim the river’s surface,
forever kissing goodbye.

Sandra Lindow graduated from UWEC with a BA in 1971 and a MST in 1974.  Presently she is busily retired and lives in Menomonie, Wisconsin. You can find out more about her here

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