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Canoeing

A Day on the Lake

By Stephanie HoogstadPublished 2 years ago 1 min read
Top Story - September 2024
Canoeing
Photo by Pietro De Grandi on Unsplash

Cool water waving

Splashing against the canoe

The sun beating down

*

No phones, computers,

Just you and me in a boat,

Stuck with each other

*

Sandwiches, soda,

Our nourishment for the day

Eating nostalgia

*

Talking and rowing

Temporarily at peace

Alone, together

*

Sitting together

In the middle of the lake

Side by side, open

*

A wet, dirty rock

Playing therapist today,

Unseen confidante

*

Speaking secret thoughts

Kept from each other so long

No bars being held

*

No yelling, banging,

No hiding from the fighting,

Just the lake and us

*

Father and daughter

Raising the white flag of truce

For only one day

Familynature poetry

About the Creator

Stephanie Hoogstad

With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.

Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com

Support my writing: Patreon

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  2. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  3. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  1. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  2. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  3. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

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Comments (23)

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  • Joshua Riveraabout a year ago

    A heartfelt moment of connection and healing between father and daughter, where nature becomes the silent mediator of unspoken words.

  • angela hepworthabout a year ago

    So lovely and peaceful.

  • Testabout a year ago

    Beautiful

  • Himanabout a year ago

    loved it, thank you Stephanie for sharing this with us.

  • Kayleigh Fraser ✨about a year ago

    It’s never too late for a top story it seems! Well done on this being pulled from the archives 🥰😇 It’s beautiful

  • I felt immersed in this poem. Magical and sweet.

  • Pamela Williamsabout a year ago

    Congratulations on your TS. I enjoyed it.

  • Addison Alderabout a year ago

    Heartwarming and beautifully-observed piece of work. (I took a more downbeat approach to kayaking recently https://shopping-feedback.today/poets/deep-shore%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E 😬) Congratulations on the much-belated Top Story! 🙏😁

  • Grz Colmabout a year ago

    I like your structure in this piece with a relevant message. Good work on your top story! 😊

  • Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Article Pinsabout a year ago

    Such a beautiful and peaceful moment captured in words

  • Cindy Calderabout a year ago

    Lovely poetic reflection of bonding with both nature and another. Well done. Congratulations on being selected for this week's Vocal Raise Your Voice Thread - well done!

  • Testabout a year ago

    Unique moments captured in a simple yet completely meaningful way - nostalgia awakens.

  • Cathy holmesabout a year ago

    Beautifully written.

  • Heather Hublerabout a year ago

    Loved this!! The bit about the white flag made me chuckle a bit :)

  • Test2 years ago

    Stephanie, this was so beautiful!! Well done! I love the overall feel of this piece!! Great work!!

  • Test2 years ago

    Such a poignant moment recaptured, the idea of eating nostalgia is such a beautiful one 🤍 Funny the moments of calm we remember - beautiful!

  • Poppy 2 years ago

    This is gorgeous! "Sandwiches, soda, Our nourishment for the day Eating nostalgia" Love that stanza! And that ending was so impactful! Really well done

  • Hannah Moore2 years ago

    Ah, I can't see that white flag staying intact with my dad.

  • Awww, this was absolutely wonderful! Also, I feel like having a sandwich now, lol. Loved your poem!

  • Tamil2 years ago

    awesome nostalgia

  • JBaz2 years ago

    It is nice when something is so beautiful and peaceful that everything else is put on hold. This is lovely in so many ways

  • Depending upon the relative ages of father & daughter, he could be learning a lot, lol. (Our father always does when the eight of us kids get together with him. He just turned 90.)

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