Breaking Up
Feb 25 2024
Break-up is coming.
A channel of cold clear water
will open by the shore.
As if the lake
had awakened
from its winter hibernation,
blinking its eyes
and taking the first deep breaths
of the warm spring air.
Soon cracks will form
then widen,
except for the thin skim of ice
on cold nights
that might entice the unwary to cross.
From a height, the lake is a mosaic,
uneven white tiles
with erratic black lines
running roughly between them.
Then a jigsaw puzzle
that came completed
unmaking itself,
missing more and more pieces
as the melt gains speed.
Until just a few small islands remain
in a jumble
on the downwind side,
as if an earthquake had hit
and the ice palace collapsed on itself.
Leaving open water
lapping on the shore.
Letting light get in
after months of darkness,
and life return
to the hungry plants
in the silt and sand of the shallows.
And allowing the crisp spring air
to replenish the stagnant water
after a season under the ice.
Fresh oxygen
reviving the fish
from their cold winter torpor,
flashing silver scales
as they slip through the water
with an effortless flick of the tail.
The ice breaks up.
And after its long winter rest
the lake is restored.
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