I’d love to see that cypress tree with snow on it

Those soft green whisps and their brown pinecones dusted in white

But even now at the end of summer it’s a pretty sight

Dangling over the water

So much so I take a moment to sit

And to stare out at the flat lake

It amazes me how still it is

More level than a pressed pancake

I’ve never seen it like this

I thought more people would be here

Labor Day weekend on a Saturday

Then there’s a few ripples

Just my pup, a big Golden retriever, making his way

It’s quiet enough to hear the insects sing

I look forward to the winter, isn’t that fascinating

I envision that lake turning into ice

And the cedars and pines dressed in white

Me in a jacket, wouldn’t that be nice

What a hot summer it’s been

Even the lake looks worn thin

My pup and I stand at the shoreline

When we turn to go I realize we’re wrapped in fishing line

It’s thin and wiry, wrapped all around our legs

I bend down to take a look

In route my face becomes covered in a spider web

There’s a daddy long leg on my shoe

I’d almost squashed him, whew

I see how thin his legs are

I can barely move, wrapped in the line

But something flutters past me

I spin around just in time

I see her – a hairy woodpecker

Covered in wire and web I hit the ground

A yellow garden spider dangles in front of me

That black and white bird flutters about lightly

My pup enjoys wallowing in the mud, at the base of the cedars

I whisper “hello” and greet her

She perches on a pine

A white egret swoops low to rest on a log over the lake

If there’d been snow I wouldn’t have seen her

Some turtles retreat

Swoosh-swoosh

There’s an eagle overhead, how neat

What a show on the lake

To leave here would be a mistake

I put my pocketknife away and take a minute to stay – wrapped in fishing line

I look at the water and at heaven

I let nature teach me a lesson

As summer fades