Winter Pond

Shallow edged with twigs, and sodden leaves The odors of the earth, green moss and peat The roots of quiet trees and rotting logs The crumbling bank where cattails wash their feet Where tiny minnows dart with lightning speed Among the roots where wild ducks come to feed The very core and essence of the earth Born of melted snow, and sleet and rain Of birds who roost amid the tree tops high And breathe the wholesome fragrance of the sky Trees that sway and swoon along the bank Shedding leaves of amber, rust and gold Like ashes left from burning autumn dreams To listen, standing guard on either flank O'er twig and stone, with watchful eyes so keen While shading coves where angler poles have been Across it's face, a restless ripple seen Where tangled grass and weeping willows lean Upon the shores where struggles soon will cease This place to spend in nature's splendid peace