Thu Sep 19 08:55:21 UTC 2024: ## Boys’ Daring Raft Adventure Haunts Author Decades Later
Renowned poet Ted Kooser has revealed a chilling childhood memory that continues to haunt him 70 years later. In a passage from his latest work, “Raft,” Kooser vividly recounts a daring adventure with his friends at a local sand pit.
The boys discovered a heavy barn door, left behind by older boys, and decided to use it as a raft. With no paddles or poles for propulsion, they boarded the makeshift craft, balancing precariously on its edge. As they ventured further out onto the water, the door’s uneven weight caused it to dip and rise, plunging them into the cold depths of the “bottomless” pond.
Kooser recounts the experience with both fear and a sense of wonder, describing the white faces of his friends as they held their arms wide, attempting to keep “some wild, free, invisible creature” at bay. The memory of the sinking door and the chilling darkness beneath the surface has remained with him, revealing a powerful, enduring impact of a childhood adventure on the author’s life and imagination.
First Piper 