Ducks meander by the muddy bank
in the milfoiled water
breaking up reflections
with their Vs and circling ripples

The day’s gray stillness
amplifies the sound of engines.
Small birds chirp
under that canopy,
detritus of mindlessness
notwithstanding

We, too, chirp on,
as if we had no part
in the grand clearing,
as if (as indeed)
all we have is today.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 17, 2017