I'm with you, pond,
you're not alone
anymore

I listen
to your soft-spoken stream,
ripples whispering my life

I'm lit
by the sunny glare
that dances off your surface
from the depths of the heavens

I'm still and thoughtful
with your water lilies,
and I croak with your frogs
born here not long ago

I linger by your side
in this intense growth of flowers
and grasses
of a northern August
surrounding your oasis
of fresh water,
with air to breathe,
out of the summer gusts
that cool a little
as they move
across your benevolence

Sitting this close by you, pond,
I feel,
in my best moments,
part of your source
of stillness, creativity

at the receiving end,
and at the start