POEM - In the End, We Made It

The long stretch we walked together
When the younger souls
Had run off ahead
All we had was us
And a beautiful day
With more frequent stops
And longer pauses
As we drew closer to the end

When we crossed the wooden bridge
The sun on the wood grain
As we walked along
Seemed to flutter and roll
In an optical illusion
You looked up to avoid getting dizzy
I tried to be more helpful
Find good places to rest
Check the map
Give accurate estimations
Of just how much further it was

Most of the kids ran to you
Once we came into view
They were waiting
On this side of the bridge
To make sure we were OK
So we could all cross together
Enjoying the last few steps as one
We watched the turtles swim below
Some already sunning and relaxing
And as the cool breeze danced
Around us on the bridge
The muskrats swam and floated
Diving down out of sight
Then reappearing
Busy with their own chores
Indifferent to the weary observers
On the bridge high above