Floridian Dream

E. Kraft

cutting through the reflective canvas

the boat hums along the swamp’s edge,

each ripple a transient brushstroke
beneath the moss-draped trees,
where branches tap with grandmotherly fingers

the light filters in patches,
a muted backdrop of greens and browns,
where shadows pool like spilled ink,

perfumed by damp earth with the faintest hint of floral

water lilies drift lazily,

their delicate blooms in smudges of color
floating like fragments of a dream

while dragonflies dart in silver trails,

the cypress knees rise from the depths,
though gnarled and ancient
these silent sentinels guard the primordial realm
as their shapes soften in the encroaching mist

the boat slips through reeds and rushes,
each swaying stalk, a whispering brush
against the hull’s weathered side,
a rhythmic cadence in this verdant sanctuary

birds echo an intermittent soundtrack,
flitting from treetop to water’s edge,
a chorus that punctuates the stillness,
brief notes of bright clarity in the ancient, unhurried palette

each moment a detail in an unspoken narrative,
painted in hues of patience and mystery,
as I drift through this living tableau,
the swamp’s quiet artistry

Image: Harry Rajchgot (2005)