Andrew C. Gottlieb

Always like this: the thunk of paddle on gunwale.
Lifted wood turns pond drip to ripples,
and the glide of the curved bow spears the surface
in a silent vee your pressed blade makes.

...the rain will beat a tattoo on the roof
while you tamp the windows shut against the wind
with a little luck, a push, a glance at black glass
slick and dark that shows you back your eyes.