With My Daughter at the Ray Touch Tank

Remember how giddy we were,

thrusting our arms

up to the elbow in cold water,

clutching smelt till the rays came

and snuffled them from our hands?

Remember how shocked we were,

squealing with surprised joy,

how tiny teeth felt on our palms

gnawing so gently it tickled

like a cat’s rough tongue?

Remember their smiles,

how we proclaimed cownose rays

the cutest of all living things?

I remember your eyes, glossy

with laughter, and feeling so alive.

Karin’s prompt to the Real Toads: A GLANCE AT NARRATIVE