After dinner dishes have been washed and put away,
I walk down to the dock.
Clouds hover against snow-capped peaks. The sun, already below the horizon, turns glaciers pink.
Shadows stretch across the hills like blankets being drawn up for the night.
Along the distant shore, one last fisherman trolls for kokanee . . .
Below my feet, trout meander between pilings-- glide over dappled stones.
The moon rises. On the water, it is shattered by each wave.
With cupped hands, I scoop up a brilliant shard and wash my face with wet light.
Soon, the wind dies, and the moon is again whole. Pale stars, floating lanterns, dot the lake.
I untie my boat, shove off, and lifting the oars, row across the heavens.
Published in Poetpourri
Republished in Catching the Limit (2009)
Mark Thalman's is the author of Catching the Limit published by Fairweather Books (2009), whichis part of their Northwest Poetry Series. Thalman's poetry has been widely published for almost four decades. His poems have appeared in Carolina Quarterly, CutBank, Many Mountains Moving, Pedestal Magazine, and Verse Daily, among others. He received his Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon, and he teaches English in the public schools. Thalman is the editor of poetry.us.com. He lives in Forest Grove, Oregon.
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