Ripples On a Lake

 Ripples On a Lake

Tiny reflections of the sun above,

glimmer and dance on the lake's surface,

in perfect twinkling diamonds 

of peace and presence.

The stillness, hidden in the deep depths, 

is called up to dance 

with the power of the Source

as the world sees itself in the mirror.

Standing on the shore, 

I peek in at the reflection 

of my awkward human form. 

I inhale deeply, 

breathing in my only true desire...

that which the lake is offering me now.

..perfection, peace, and presence...

For the briefest of seconds,

I see clearly what I am to see.

Then, out of nowhere, 

the wind blows ...

and a leaf...a tiny browning leaf... 

is pulled from the nearby branch

that it once clung so tightly to.

It falls, twisting and turning, 

in effortless circles. 

I watch as it slowly and surely drops 

in one big exhale from my distracted Life 

to the perfectly still surface of this lake. 

It lands in the center 

of my visual field

and in an instant

stillness is disrupted.

Creating a tiny ripple...

a tiny disturbance 

in the perfect peace and presence 

I have been witnessing,

the tiny ripple extends outward 

into another tiny ripple and another... 

until my reflection 

becomes a blurry mess.

I gasp in resistance 

as the image of who I think I am, 

the clarity and perfection,

the peace and presence of this lake 

is disrupted.   

 I spit out that disturbance 

from my struggling lungs. 

I watch as these ripples 

swallow up the stillness

and I shout out "No!"

I know I must do something about it. 

I jump into the frigid depths. 

Splashing and splattering, I swim

towards the leaf at the center. 

With great desperation and contempt 

I swoop it up with my trembling hand. 

It and the weight of my resistance 

are like a heavy anchor within me.  

I am pulled down into the depths. 

Though there is something 

oddly reassuring and familiar  

in these waters below the surface... 

I refuse to be swallowed into an abyss 

I cannot make sense of with my mind. 

So, I struggle to surface

creating more ripples, 

more disturbance 

with every splashing effort I make. 

The ripples turn into waves, 

and the waves into rip currents...

I choke on the turbulent water 

as it fills my lungs 

with each breath I take in. 

Yet, I will not let go.

I cling to the leaf even tighter. 

Somehow, I manage, with leaf in hand, 

to awkwardly and painfully make my way 

back to the shoreline where I, 

crawling on exhausted limbs, 

pull myself up from the lake 

with its now thrashing waves. 

I collapse into the sand, 

the cause of disturbance tucked neatly 

in the palm of my clenched fist. 

I will not let it go. 

I will hang on to it as a reminder

of what I must do.

It takes a long time for the waters 

to return to their pure state...

to perfection, peace and presence... but they do. 

 I smile then, 

pleased at myself for my accomplishment 

as I watch the sunlight flicker and dance

once again on the clear surface. 

I can rest.

That is until... 

the wind blows again

and another brittle leaf

 falls to the lake's surface

to start the rippling all over again.

©Dale-Lyn, September-December 2024