A dory is a small row boat used by fishermen.
I knew we were in trouble when I couldn’t get Dexter to sit down as he tried to untangle the net, rocking the dory; taking on river water.
My warning, ” We’re going to sink if you don’t sit down . ” Seemed to fall on deaf ears.
I remembered Harold’s wise words. ” If you think you’re going under, remove your rubber boots, or you will drown.”
I was sitting in my socks in the middle of the river, bailing water with a rubber boot as the dory disappeared beneath me.
We had reached the tipping point.
The Atlantic Ocean water is cold in late October and adds weight to sweaters and wool.
I heard Dexter splashing. However, my main focus early on was to not get tangled up in the net. When I was sure I was clear, I decided to allow my body time to recover for another push to shore. This required holding my breath and allowing myself to sink to the bottom Deception River.
It was here in the estuary with approximately 10 feet of the Atlantic Ocean over my head that I realized that it had been perhaps decades since I had prayed and this might be an opportune time to return to the practice. The prayer went something like this.
“Dear God… If you get me out of this; I will never drink again. ”
I pushed off the river bottom and swam towards shore in the darkness. I remembered Persy’s warnings, ” Don’t panic… to panic is death.”
I sank, stayed calm, repeated, and reached dry land .
Dexter yelled from the opposite shore.
I sat for a moment cold and grateful to be alive and thought to myself… If I don’t get out of here, I’m going to die.Dennis Mantin

That opaque interlude of childhood is far behind us.

Worn and tattered and splayed by uneven, unreliable memory…

Spread thin until it’s meaningless, no flavor, no substance…

Just unrelenting nonsense that needs to be stared down; gone but not forgotten.

We are in the heart of meaning NOW!! Standing, pacing, one step in front of the other, dealing with what needs be…

Maybe the opaque is required… maybe we need to grow before we can see behind that curtain and roll into the arms of Angel’s.

Dennis Mantin

I’ve always been a leader… Natural leader above all.

When I was just a baby I led baby marches by the crawl.

Influencer, public figure, I’m now a man about the town.

Or I might be a woman, it’s whatever’s going down.

If I post it and you’ll like it then you can be my friend.

I’m an influenced public figure I major at pretend.

All the other babies they gave me the brightest ball.

None of us could stand so there wasn’t far to fall.

Influencers and Public Figures… lift your faces from your phone.

Take a look around you, you do look so all alone.

Dennis Mantin

He’s a beggar and he’s filthy and he sits across the road.

He’s shoeless and he stumbles, from the burden of his load.

I can’t see his burden but he’s carried it for years.

I’ve never seen him cry though I know he’s shed some tears.

He sits across the road as if he’s held there by a force.

Which is really quite invisible except for him of course.

There’s a mother or a lover or both you can be sure.

Someone got abandoned and for that there is no cure.

Except my few small dollars and the ease that drink it brings…

And for a few small moments he hears theangel as she sings.

Dennis Mantin

I was told that I didn’t suffer fools…

I couldn’t imagine anyone who would.

A coworker said about the man we work for, “He suffers fools gladly.”

Then he added, “He sees the big picture… doesn’t swet the small stuff.”

We have no shortage here and I have been shown true leadership.

I am humbled… and that is wonderful!

Dennis Mantin

It came as a surprise and you know I’ve had a few.

To open up your eyes and see for real what you do.

And you didn’t run away and I swear I saw a tear.

You mouthed the words I’m sorry that battled out your fear.

They say awareness is the start but you know I disagree.

It seems to me to be so much more that can heal the blind to see.

Never really happened except somewhere in my head.

Above where I grind my teeth and deal with you instead.

Dennis Mantin

He sits outside the liquor store day after day greeting and cajoling spare change; telling all who pass to have a wonderful day or wishing them the best for whatever upcoming holiday is arriving. He’s healthy and personable and appears to have the gift of gab and a memory for names.

I can’t help myself from wondering how one arrives at a career choice like this. Does it come on gradually or did he just wake up one day and say, “I’m going to be a bum.”?

This falls under the category of question that I can ask and feel satisfied at not ever getting an answer.

Dennis Mantin

We circle in the darkness and we’re waiting for the sun.

And the fever has been broken and a new day has begun.

Nothing has been promised just expectations of some light.

Somewhere between faith and hope and will be a welcome sight.Dennis Mantin

What started out as a wonderful tool for people of like ideals and ideas to connect and share information…

Has transformed into a machine that isolates individuals while allowing a shared insanity lacking in spiritual principles or virtues…

What a ride!

What could go wrong?

Dennis Mantin

The Mathematicians brother was senseless… thick as a brick.

They couldn’t be related was the talk they laid on thick.

We watched them add the numbers to be certain they were sure.

That someone must have played around, the numbers far from pure.

It’s not a perfect science this family side of life.

They couldn’t blame the numbers; so they blamed the mathematicians wife.

Dennis Mantin