________________A man rushes the lake
and ruins what might have been
_______________________a breathtaking still life.

________________The loon takes flight,
startled by the sound of water leaping,
________and drags her song through the air like a field

mouse taken by a hawk’s talons.

______________________________________No matter.
Birr trees waver by the shore,
and I remember:

________________________I almost drowned at a young age
________________________trying to appreciate
a closer view.

Now, every year is a year survived.

_____________________________________I mean,
the choice is always there, yes?

A petulant shadow
_______creasing the brow.