My kayak paddle cuts a smooth surface. Blades of tall grass bend from a hillside, reach for the water below. A bull moose wades over pebbles; we watch a blue heron stalk through reeds.
dragonflies shimmer
in rays of an orange sun
painted turtle basks
I press on to deeper water. Grey stone bottom moves along beneath my craft. The wail of a loon slices heavy air as she calls to her mate. The tail of a trout protrudes from the beak of the father as he faces two bobbing brown offspring.
bronze swimmer
dives off a rock
yellow trunks
— March 30, 2008