Lake Pantoum
it was ten minutes, if that
we saw him bobbing there
that boy, so quiet
didn’t call out, wave his hand
we saw him bobbing there
(three giggly girls in a circle)
didn’t call out, wave our hands
say, nice water, huh?
giggly girls in a circle
heard no sound no sound
my sister said, nice water
five feet deep
no sound no sound
then shouts on shore
only five feet deep
they pulled his body out
on shore, on shore
that boy so quiet
they carried him out
it was ten minutes, if that
Sherry Stuart-Berman is a psychotherapist in private practice. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Paterson Literary Review, 2 Horatio, Atticus Review, Blue Fifth Review, and Rise Up Review, among others, and in the anthologies Malala: Poems for Malala Yousafzai and Drawn to Marvel: Poems from the Comic Books. She lives in Staten Island, NY, with her husband and son.
