twenty four guns to the starboard!
twenty four more to my port!
a cockwiggle grin to know my chin
and a cutlass full of grip
and the rockets red glare!
the bombs bursting in air!
yada yada yada
the jack hammer breaks the world in two
all rat-a-ta-tat rat-a-ta-tat!
while alarms sound the fire
and sirens chase the thief
a fist for the belly
a stick for the snake
and dynamite just in case
but here and just now,
in this stillest of time
befor hell rises up
its a canoe i glide
a silent paddle that slices
and dips while there, on the shore,
the grey goose nurtures her young
near the turtle
sleeping the fallen log
across the lake, the loon
cuts the silence of this frozen
time, penetrating
the mist rising from this northern lake
not yet awake, but stretching
in yawn
the slightest of breeze
dances the willows skirt
before washing my face
in its echo glow
just before me, a lone bass
leaps for no reason
and the red fox going home
pauses a glance from shore
yes, a screen door will slam
a woman will yell
and a Johnson will fire to life
in search of the bass's hideout
the telephone men will coffee
at Carol's Diner, comparing
bowling scores while the road crew
don the orange blaze and
the school busses lumber their duty
jackhammers, sirens and alarms
will surely follow this path
and violence shall rise with the sun
but now, and just now,
for a moment or so more
i see a canoe
and hear the loon
in this stillest of moments
while i consider the price
we've paid to progress
2 comments:
Ha. Such loudness. A stark contrast to the still moment, which made it all the more quiet and special. I have looked over the bow of my shell....just like this. I have let the oars float while I cut the water with my fingers drag. Damn...wish I still had such a craft. The winding rivers around here would be such a blessing to such a boat.
Rick, this is gorgeous. I am so there. I absolutely LOVE sound—almost any sound—across a lake. It takes on such a rich timbre. (I don't care for motorized toys, except the Johnsons that more like hum.)
One of my best lives was lived two hours in a kayak on our little lake up north. Watched the moon set, sun rise, mist hiding geese visually but wow could I hear them honking. The moment the sun rose and everything was fog with one dot of sun, and the geese deafening, was surreal.
If you want to see the photo, and the others, they're here. This was back in '06, before I had a wider blog template and big photos, but you can click on 'em to enlarge.
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