Thank you, Emily Benson, for taking us with you out on the water on these hot summer days in the sunset hour! (From Deep Wild 2023)
Paddle
Emily Benson
The lake is the evening sky
Inverted
Still as a held breath
But for the rings rippling out
Where damselflies kissed the water
Where drops fell glistening
From the blade of my paddle
A thread of concentric circles
Slowly widening behind me
Vireos call from the darkening spruce boughs
Their bright song like sparks in the gloaming
The clouds are rose gold and black-bellied
In the white air
Leaves susurrate over a rustling in the briars
I am little sounds
Water
Breath
Sky
I am
So small and still
“Paddle” is one of 53 poems, essays, and stories inspired by journeys to wild places in the just-released 2023 issue of Deep Wild: Writing from the Backcountry. To read more, visit deepwildjournal.com
Deep Wild Journal 