No Wake Zone

Don’t go too fast
—idle, the sign says;
the other boats don’t want
to be rocked,
or rolled over,
out of your way.
So slow down,
pull back on the throttle
and glide along
to where the river shimmers,
then you can head out
past the sign that says
no wake zone,
and feel that sudden jolt
as the engine spins down deep,
and you make those waves
spin out behind you
in great plumes of spray,
and you feel the engine throb,
power beneath your hands.
You may disturb
those boats at anchor,
rocking somnambulant
in the morning sun,
as you make your waves
out past the zone,
as wide a wake
as soon as you can.