I'd Stay Again With Sunscreen Eyes
I’d Stay Again With Sunscreen Eyes
We’re waiting and waiting, and I can’t see because I have sunblock in my eye. It hurts to see, but it hurts more to blink. I can’t tell if it was worth coming out here; I’m baking in the sun like a lizard, and my eczema-scaly hands give that proposition proof.”Oh, a snag,” My Pepere would say and hope would fill the area until it too got away. That was all the action we’d get; we caught more plants than fish. With water so grimy, it’s weird it's a reservoir. I’ve seen many people fish here and at the other reservoir closer to home. There are no don’t-fish signs here, but there were at home, and I’d see people fishing right next to them as if they were above the law despite being below the sign. I would see them and wonder why with judging eyes. What's worth it? Each time I want to move my legs, the boat rocks because it’s only meant for two people and we squeezed on three. I’m wondering why we’re here despite the fact I asked to go. No bites, and I can barely see, and maybe we shouldn't be here for this long. We lingered in the one spot that had shade, but with no breeze, there was nothing to keep us there. We were talking about getting lunch afterwards, and even with reptile hands, red eyes, and sticky skin, I refused to leave. We stayed for hours, and I felt like maybe no one felt the way I did. Like how those kids felt fishing together in the illegal reservoir. Maybe I’m not supposed to be here, or supposed to stay, but I will remain for longer than I should. Because of the belief that there might not be a next time before we’re eye level with the sign, and realize we were naive for taking those times for granted. Or maybe because there’s a chance next time we can fit in the boat, because there’s one less person. Forgetting when to release my bail, because who taught and reminds me is now gone.
Copyright © Evan Norman | Year Posted 2026
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