Saturday, May 24, 2014

Saying Goodnight

The pond last May.

I have been out saying goodnight to the day. The rain is gone, the sun will be out just long enough to set, and the evening air is heady with the scent of lilac and lily of the valley. The whole world turned green overnight it seems; every tree wears a full crown of leaves that the slightest breeze sets whispering. Freshly plowed ground at the nearby farm is dark from the rain that fell all day and smells rich and brown and earthy.

A robin takes a bath in a roadside puddle, dipping its head under the water and enthusiastically splashing water over its wings, chirping the whole time as if singing in the shower. I hear the song of the Baltimore oriole but I don’t catch a glimpse of it. Swallows swoop and dive over the pond and my footsteps startle something at water’s edge. There’s a heavy splash and a ring of wavelets; perhaps it’s the otter that lives along the bank or one of a pair of muskrats that I often see swimming in the evening. Red-winged blackbirds chitter overhead and a goldfinch whistles at me.


I have forgotten my camera so I take mental snapshots of the pond in the melting light, of the trees staring at their reflections in the water, of the birds that flit and flutter. Sunrise and sunset encase another day. I would send the peace of this one out into the world.

11 comments:

Out on the prairie said...

A very serene moment

Brian Miller said...

i like your mental pictures...especially of that bird taking a bath...smiles...cool capture...

Joanna Jenkins said...

Lovely...
"A robin takes a bath in a roadside puddle..." :-)

Wisewebwoman said...

Beautiful imagery, better than a photograph :)

XO
WWW

Marc Leavitt said...

Pauline:

Your prose is poetry.

Marc

Hilary said...

You snap sharper photos with your words than most photographers do with our cameras. Thank you for this.

PhilipH said...

"the pond in the melting light, of the trees staring at their reflections in the water.."

Your words are so poetic. One does not need a photograph to see this scene; it's such a brilliant picture painted by a few words.

I haven't visited your postings for a long while; so glad to be reminded of your elegant prose.

Reya Mellicker said...

This is gorgeous.

Pauline said...

OOTP - I'm lucky that my life is filled with such moments

Brian - perhaps that's why I'm not so good at actual photography - the words get in the way ;)

Thank you, JJ :)

WWW - it's fun trying to show others what I see...

Thank you, marc!

Hilary - not better than yours, surely. You take such marvelous photos!

Philip - delighted to be in touch again!

reya - thank you :)

Pauline said...

OOTP - I'm lucky that my life is filled with such moments

Brian - perhaps that's why I'm not so good at actual photography - the words get in the way ;)

Thank you, JJ :)

WWW - it's fun trying to show others what I see...

Thank you, marc!

Hilary - not better than yours, surely. You take such marvelous photos!

Philip - delighted to be in touch again!

reya - thank you :)

Unknown said...

I've taken to keeping my camera in the car, and occasionally use my iPhone camera as well. But imagination is good! ;)