Island Life
By Lisa Timpf
We snagged a campsite on our own private island
one summer week in Algonquin Park, shared it
with the crossbills that foraged in the fire pit,
the noisy red squirrels, the chipmunks that raided
our stash of trail mix, the loons that serenaded us
with their quavering calls at night. The pair of shy
moose we glimpsed in the fog of early morning.
The freshwater clams studded in the shallows.
And yet, it wasn't the living things that struck us
so much as the inanimate, for in the dark of night,
sitting on logs by the fire's dying embers,
we found ourselves spellbound by the tapestry
of stars, brilliant as crystal, and the Milky Way
like a bucket of pearls some giant had splashed
across the velvet sky.
Too tired to stay up, we blinked in awe,
staggered to our tents to seek a night's sleep,
humbled
"Island Life" was inspired by a canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.
Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. She enjoyed bird-watching, organic gardening, and observing nature.
Featured image by Edwin Poon / CC BY
