I'd sometimes stop and take my time until
That wooden structure had stopped trembling.
And dropping to my knees, I'd stoop to see
The big iridescent green dragonflies
Make playful figure eights in courtship flight.
Causing concentric rings, small fish would dart
Out of deep shadows into brilliant light,
And once I saw a red-tailed fisher fly
And sit to eat a fish plucked from the pool.
There wild pink roses and forget-me-nots
Revived a faded childhood memory;
It was sixty years since Auntie's wedding day
When she wore white and held a rose bouquet.
~Erica Mapp