One ripple

for Joanne

by Denise Ginzler

 

At Pearly Pond after the rain

The surface is like a mirror

Until I step into the water.

(Joanne loved greyhounds,

knew about snakes and foxes;

once she frightened a bear)

 

I take four steps, the ripples

Start to spread out and out

Silently from my feet.

(she had a deep laugh,

she was honest, she’d say when

a book was not worth reading)

 

I stand still and wait,

Buried ankle-deep,

Watching concentric circles.

(after many sleepless nights,

she died last Tuesday,

early in the morning)

 

Pond and sky are grey,

Cobwebs of mist

Shroud the pine trees.

(she loved chickens, goats,

a good mystery, and

a glass of cool water)

 

If I look long enough, will

One ripple reach the farthest shore?

 

 

Denise Ginzler has loved books since she learned to read at the age of six. Her love of writing came a bit later. She joined a small writer’s group in 2006, and has been writing short fiction and poetry since. She works at a small public library in southern New Hampshire.

Shaundi Kane is a photographer located in Keene, New Hampshire, specializing in portrait and wedding photography. She learned photography basics through art courses using a 35 mm camera. Everything beyond that, in the world of digital cameras and editing software and programs is all self-taught. For Shaundi, photography is passion itself, bursting forth with raw emotion, depth, and individual personality. View more of her work at  www.skane-photos.com.