At last the surface of water
is manifest, though it could be the sky.
Unseen mosquito larvae frenetic
in the shade of a bridge. Punctured
membranes of publicised dreams
litter the stillness and eventual peace.
A floating spider poised on the lake's
meniscus. Reflections of willows
conjure quiet violence, mud settling
on the bottom, a school bag filled
with stones, the ripples dissipating
after a swamp hen has shrieked across
the dinner plates of water lilies
clattering into the reeds.

Published in Cordite (Australia).