Tire Swing

December 26th, 2023

You sit beside the river sapling and imagine a story written in the tread of a new set of tires; words forming in the grooves, like oak letterpress blocks. With every revolution, the plot is spelled out upon the dirt and sand and gravel; a tale that speaks of places you have been, and those that built who you have become. And when the tread is aged and worn, you perch upon its tire; strung from an old, gnarly oak branch along the cold river’s edge. As you swing, back and forth, gripping the faded rubber, your mind befriends the shallow impressions that lie beneath your hands. And when you close your eyes, you begin to remember a story…