Bare feet dock-dangling down,
memories morning-cleansed
in gentle lakewater.
Loons warble back and forth,
one zooms under me
at supernatural speed.
A boy casts out, reels in
a small sunny.
As it fights against the hook,
a large mouth bass
clamps down on it
but for reasons unknown
lets it go. When he lands it
the boy yells for his dad
and they all come down to hear
the story, bearing witness
in summer heat.
Bullfrogs bellow
over by the lily pads, full glottal,
defiant against all odds.
O lake of my childhood
gelatinous frogspawn
hatching into tadpoles
floats in your watercolor cove,
raucous scream-birds
swoop and holler
on a dance, or a whim.
