Ducks catapult into the water.
Herons' stilt legs trail
their sudden flight to
somewhere safer.
Flat shells smack the lake,
bony heads resurface,
stare at forsaken thrones.
What was that?
Maybe nothing.
A dog barked,
a child ran,
a turtle slipped.
All's clear
on the lip of the lake,
for now.
-David L.Harrison