“What is that?”
a boy, two seats over
echoes my thoughts
“I’ve been wondering that too!”
I blurt, disregarding social protocols.
What are the protocols for people
herded onto a ferry, headed across
open water, seated in close proximity
to neighbours?
“A whale?”
his mother asks, obviously as eager
as I to catch sight of one.
“Not whale behaviour, really –
it hasn’t submerged.”
“Sometimes they roll on the surface.”
I’m not an expert on whales, but doubt it.
“It’s a boat,” the father declares
bursting our bubbles.
A curtain draws between us –
they return to their lunch
and talk of things unrelated to whales.
(Today’s challenge is to incorporate dialogue into our poetry.)
One Woman's Quest 
my son once said to another little boy on a ferry: do you like nature? – in a rather plummy posh voice that made us burst out laughing. He had a pack of nature-themed Top Trump cards and was wondering if the other boy wanted to play. We still tease him about it 🙂
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Great story. Love the things kids will come out with.
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I disregard social protocols. No stranger danger for me. There’s nothing wrong with saying hello. You may be the only person to notice them. Too bad it was a boat! 😉
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I know! drat!
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“It’s a boat.” THIS is how our childlike sense of curiosity and wonder gets squashed. Good for you for encouraging the child to imagine other possibilities, no matter how unlikely or remote.
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Thanks Heide.
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I like this poem very much. I , too, have wondered about the strange social protocols that keep us from conversing with strangers. Seems the world might be so much better if we disregarded them more often.
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My mother always disregarded them – she can set anyone at ease. You are right -it makes for a better world.
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