Seasonal lake view

/ marydpierce

looking glass lake 1

From my bedroom window
I happen to glance out and spot the shroud of sun
spreading it’s last light over the horizon.
Before it melts into the woods beyond the lake —
a lake we can only view through trees bereft of foliage,
from an upstairs window —
I grab my camera to document the thrill
of this single moment.
One in millions throughout my lifetime,
each observed and stored in its own place inside my head,
to be retrieved later (if I can find it) and enjoyed again.

Remember this? I’ll ask myself.  Wasn’t it spectacular?

In truth, it’s not likely I’ll remember
this particular sunset
any more than others I’ve seen,
or the thousand other moments
that caught my eye or my breath,
and made me pause to savor it.
Like our seasonal lake view,
obscured by the fullness of nature,
the brevity of moments like this
get lost
in the plenitudes of life.

That’s what the camera is for.

n.b. April is National Poetry Writing Month.  If you’d like to try your hand at the form, or just read good words, check out these links.  Here and Here.

21 thoughts on “Seasonal lake view”

    • Camera’s do help don’t they? This poem started because I was thinking about death portraits, the one’s that people used to have taken of their children or spouses, often the only photo they would have of the person. I understand why they wanted such a photo, that need to have something, perhaps to nudge the larger collection of images and memories from wherever they are stored in one’s mind.

      Anyway, I probably think too much. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

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  5. A moment of awe, caught in an instant, by the human eye, a sight to be hold and then it’s gone. But not in the mind’s eye, the camera for the soul, to be enjoyed over and over an awesome sight, indeed.

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  6. I love sunrises and sunsets – they can set the horizon ablaze in glory or simply fade away, unnoticed. Right now the east is slowly shifting from a red orange to an orange and then, soon, there will no color at all. if you blink you miss it, but when you watch it, it is glorious. Enjoy the view while you can, enjoy the memory, always.

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  7. ‘Get lost in the plentitudes of life’ How true Mary!
    Seeing something beautiful is a bit like eating a great meal, one swears it will never be forgotten, alas another beautiful meal is eagerly waiting to steal one’s thoughts.
    It’s really the diet that is important I guess and yours is filled with obvious love.B

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  8. It’s what the camera is for, but also the written word. You are right on target … we think we might remember, but we don’t always. Thank you for sharing, by word and image.

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  9. I love the library of moments stored away inside my mind, and yes . . I do visit often. Sometimes, when I’m really lucky, I can actually feel the moment as it happened for me. It takes me right there and I feel almost as if I’m time traveling. Mind you, this is without benefit of any beverages of choice. Good stuff.

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  10. A haunting and evocative image. “…get lost / in the plenitudes of life.” What a great line! And the last one, “That’s what the camera is for,” is what I was thinking long before I reached it. It felt not predictable, just perfect.

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  14. I’m sure there’s some quote about memory being a better camera than a camera, but that’s what I wanna say. And now, I guess, you will remember it, because you wrote on it. 😛

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