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.
Karen, your pause and reflect allowed me to enjoy your memory with its sounds and beauty of the lake - "I can hear the water lapping... the loons calling. I can feel myself unwinding at the very thought." Pledging allegiance to the lake with its glowing images, sounds, and animals makes me wonder how I would feel at the lake. Thank you for sharing a post that will make me visualize it before I fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteKaren, peace, quiet, and joy await you at the lake. Your words make us all long for the serenity of nature. With the way life can be so hectic, it is nice to have a place to unwind. Thank you for this peaceful post. Bob
ReplyDeleteKaren, the lake calls, for sure! Reading your words, I think of the restorative power of water ("good for what ails you" as previous generations said). Water is a symbol for life itself. Even the sound of it - lapping at the lake, or crashing in at the shore, or bubbling in a fountain - a wordless song of majesty and peace, stilling the soul. Your ode to the lake even appears in the shape of a water droplet! I savored every vivd image in it - magnificent descriptions of wildlife and the beauty of the earth. Here's to summertime and remembering the profound gift we have in this beautiful, beautiful country (with a lyric as a prayer, perhaps: "God mend thine every flaw," beginning in the hearts of humans). Thank for reminding us all to "remember our moorings" in such a lovely way.
ReplyDeleteAll those wonderful, beautiful things to see and hear and feel at the lake! What a place to restore your spirit--you fortunate person! Enjoy, refill, recharge! I look forward to seeing what writing comes from your pencil and pad.
ReplyDeleteMy OLW for '26 is child. I visit child each week for Poetry Friday. So, my post isn't specifically a spiritual journey thursday...and yet there are elements there.
Karen, what a poem! I salute your lake and your words depicting life at the lake. You created a full panorama of life at your lake and made me want to sit on that spacious, screened porch with you.
ReplyDeleteKaren, thank you for this beautiful ode to nature and its blessings! Especially "burbling streams" and "blush of sunset." It reads as a gush of gratitude. I will find some time in the coming week to pen one, too. Ecclesiastes is perfect: there is time for everything, in time.
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