By the Waters
The water, water, dazzles…
Denise Levertov
Reflect on water, the way light changes
its colors, a lake in mid-morning, yellow
sun, the ripples a woodland stream arranged
in late afternoon red, dark trees, the snow
still white a marsh, early spring, stream channels
its way among reeds, rushes, grasses, cattails,
dead blades gray, new ones green see light funnel
reflections, blue and quavery, a trail
at water’s edge cracked ice, sky blue, the sense
you’re under, looking up lazy afternoons,
quiet walks, stealthy runoffs, stacked and dense
invaders, drain pipes, good manure, crop food.
Ruins can have beauty, hyacinth, loosestrife,
but colors in water, pictures, do mean life.
Richard Roe
