Pause and Reflect: Allegiance to the Lake

 It's been a while. And it is time to pause and reflect, to remember my moorings.

I'm taking a cue from Irene Latham and pledging allegiance to a lake. A lake vacation is planned for later in the summer, and I'm already champing at the bit. I can hear the water lapping... the loons calling. I can feel myself unwinding at the very thought. Ahhh...

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

to the lake

to the soothing lap of water

to the wild and ancient call of the loons, to their elegant black and white evening wear, to ruby eyes, to sleek silhouettes riding low in the waves, to the intimate conversation of a mated pair, to fuzzy gray chicks riding piggyback, to raucous loon parties lasting far into the night, to deep dives

to eerie woodland stirrings, heard but never seen

to tiny orange salamanders, crawling in the duff

to kingfishers in white neckerchiefs and spiky caps as they skim the water, perch on a limb, project a presence twice their size

to waterlilies - white or yellow- and their shiny round pads

to tiny darting fishes, and big ones lurking in the shadowy deep

to lichens, gray-green, rust, black, ash, golden, splashed on rocks and trees with abandon

to the hootings of owls, to their lushly striped feathers and silent flight

to the evening gatherings of bats, gnat hunting in the twilight

to my hopes for a spacious screened porch with chairs, couch, blanket

to the canoe which waits and floats and conveys quietly

to many possibilities: beaver, otter, fox, martin, bear

to the myriad creatures hiding along the shores

to the burbling stream that feeds the lake

to the blush of sunset on glittering water

to the dip of paddles

to pencil and pad

to gratitude

to peace

  

--Karen Eastlund, 2026

And while I'm at it, I'll pledge allegiance to the USA and it's 250th. The semiquincentennial. 

I remember and celebrate our freedoms. May they long endure.

Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything, and the next couple of months will be very busy. May I have enough energy!  And yes, I look forward to my time at the lake. It beckons.

Many thanks to Carol Varsalona for hosting this month. She suggested "Pause and Reflect" as our prompt. You can find her blog post and links to the rest of the group HERE.