sitting on a shady bench

damsel flies flit along the water

turtles snorkel near the surface

lone mallard casts wary eye

at geese and goslings

squirrel ventures close,

covets my apple core on the bench

ant carries morsel twice its size

shy lily blossoms open on pads

green cattails stand sentinel

while last year’s pods shed wooly seeds

I wait for an omen to speak to me,

but it must not know my name

5-21-26