The Lake...Verbatum

The Lake...Verbatum
(A soothing scenario to combat terror)

A flock of mergansers awakened me.
I sat up and looked out from my tent.
Not quacking sounds, but the sound of the lake
As it swirled wherever they went.

They'd scoot along it's surface,
Heads down, looking for food.
Then they'd dive straight down reappearing,
With minnow-filled beaks for the brood.

I laid back down and closed my eyes
And listened to the sounds of the lake.
As the waves lapped onto the shoreline,
I was challenged to stay awake.

But a kingfisher broke my sleepy spell
As she chattered and skimmed the surface.
I heard a "splash" as she folded her wings;
Getting food for her young, her purpose.

Have you ever heard the talk of a squirrel?
Or listened to the call of the loon?
Each with their own little language,
Like the sun would talk to the moon.

Tiny fingers of fog at the light of dawn
Reach down to touch the lake;
Just hanging there as if to say,
"A massage to get you awake?"

My senses filled with the sights and the sounds
Of nature and her creatures at work.
I took a deep breath and breathed the woods,
Left my tent, reached down, felt the earth.

Having thoughts of grief and fear and hate,
And the horror of Osama Ben Laden,
It saves my soul to just sit back
And listen to the lake...verbatum.

KatPurrs~