Ode to a Beaver

I spotted you from the back of the truck, as Daddy
Backed it up over brambles and poison ivy
 
As we came closer and closer to the irrigation pump by Walnut Creek
My eyes were wide and unwavering as I watched
The slow movement of you
Wading away in the water
A short branch with glossy emerald leaves
Hanging deftly from your mouth.
 
I became entranced by the sight of your flat, long tail
Making a straight trail in the water as
You drifted by effortlessly and soundlessly
Like you had all the time in the world…
 
You were disappearing behind trees when
Finally, the truck halted and I jumped
Out the back and straight towards the overhang
 
I searched for you frantically but
You had disappeared like a dream.
 
As we moved the pump and got it running I kept
Thinking of you creating your dam
Wading back and forth, again and again – and
I wanted to ask you then,
How you held time so gracefully
While I was letting it all slip away
 
I waited for you to appear once more but
You were long gone, and I knew that you
Were my first “Goodbye”