A moment

 

A moment

 

The wind has dropped, coming in over the lake;

The storm, with its wild unrest, has moved on,

So now the ripples barely reach the shore:

The muscle of water relaxed; cloud borne away.

And the light lingers now, is altered and slow,

More smoulder than burn, as if the lifted lid

Of sky were hesitant to be lowered -

The moment is time, gathered and stored -

Only, finally, to slip from your fingers,

To slide shut on the darkness.

 

On the far side, away from the house,

The trees are gathering in the shadows

To separate black from blackness.

And soon the moon at your back will slink

Quietly into the water, quivering

Just below the surface, like a thought,

And you won’t turn to stare it in the face

But simply watch how it dances - elusive and alone,

Amorphous, trying to keep afloat -

Only, finally, to feel it sink like a stone.