Baptism at Rising Creek
Tanya Young
After I was born I was prayed for
Dressed up like a wedding cake
Cradled in the preachers arms
My head was laid back
Under the water
On a dawn soaked shore
The sun rising like a pot of blood
In the church of the great outdoors
A spotless beginning
Aunt Virginia was singing a
Song about getting cleansed
With lots of hallelujahs
And about a roll being called up yonder
Her flowing dress rustling
Like yesterdays news
Her body flowered with honeysuckle
Uncle Ben’s dog, Rusty,
Howled from the bank
As I let out a cry of protest
Of the cold dunking
Now, I’m looking overhead
At oak trees joining hands
Blooming with wind
As they make an opening
A window to the sky
On the shore the men are
Sitting up green and white
Webbed aluminum chairs
As the women unpack
Potato salad, baked ham, deviled eggs
Peach cobbler and iced tea
Grandma Annie- her hair the curls of a Toni
Tells of losing her leg and her husband
Great Aunt Sarah - with a peppermint in her cheek
Talks with half a mind
But both still smile and clap their hands
In perfect time as they sing
“This little light of mine
Let it shine , let it shine”
So grateful, so very grateful
Tanya Young, a retired journalist from coastal North Carolina, moved to Osprey six years ago. Immediately she sought out creative writing outlets with Suncoast Writers Guild where all roads intersected with poetry. She is active in several Sarasota poetry groups and recently co-founded Bards on the Bay. She has studied in several workshops and is a member of Wildacres Writers. She also is a potter and collage artist.