Emerging Voices from the Wild
Karen Jones
On the Water
Allow the bow to rise and fall.
Deep places appear shallow
under a gossamer sky
and gulls’ slender wings.
Clear depths seem shallow
as you gaze through the water
under gulls’ white wings
and clouds’ soft shadows.
Gaze through the water.
Paddle to the face of the wind.
Under clouds’ soft shadows,
waves raise their dark eyes.
Paddle to the face of the wind.
Accompany the waves,
the lift of their dark eyes.
Sunlight warms your shoulder.
Lapping waves lift toward you
under a gossamer sky.
Sunlight warms your shoulder.
Allow the bow to rise and fall.
Karen Jones is a teacher, poet, and life-long learner from Corvallis, Oregon. Her poems have appeared in Willawaw Journal, Circle of Seasons, Cirque Press, and other publications. Her chapbook Seasons of Earth and Sky (Finishing Line Press) was released in 2020.