Root River Josie LaVoi

ROOT RIVER

Josie LaVoi

The long body of the canoe slides through the water, a gentle brush dipped in paint.

I steer downriver sitting in back, avoiding rocks, muscling through rapids. My paddle firm, the boat bends to my will, shooting into smooth water.

I breathe and throw my head back, staring at the bluffs, into the fluttering of green leaves.

13