Wading

Water thin and clear as picture frame glass
Is icy cold from mountain run-off.
I catch glimpses of darting minnows
Hiding beneath the sagging weathered dock.
My legs grow numb and red just below the knees.
Mosquitoes prick at vulnerable flesh
As I gingerly step on smooth, shifting stones.
Squishy sandy soil sucks my bare feet,
And seaweed grasses grasp my ankles.
Ripples silently spread around landing bugs and jumping fish.
The sun feels warm and welcome on my back;
My dark brown hair feels hot and moist in the sun.
A fly fisherman dances a line upstream,
While laughing voices float from a teetering canoe.
I hear the whispered rhythm of gentle current
While tasting the sweet scent of mountain berries.
My breathing deepens and slows
As I drift into this distant memory....
-Shawnee

Haiku Sequence

Summer Haiku Sequence

Sprinkles of black ants
Swarm a popsicle puddle
Orange and sticky.

Pesky powdered moths
Bouncing against light fixtures
Go do something else.

Minute grey pill bug
Creeping armored vehicle
I saw you too late.

Glossy mud puddle
Remnant of summer downpour
Freshly laundered dirt.

-Shawnee