Soul Ship

I put in on the sandy shore on the ocean side of the rusty bridge and bust the contrary current of the ebb tide into Gulf Pond.  The mudflats are becoming exposed showing their decking of clam and oysters.  The sea meadow grass is a hundred or more yards back, these flats being too deep at high water for the grass to survive.  Autumn colors are showing around the pond, strong reds and yellows in some spots, fading greens in others.

I was greeted at the put in by a flock of wild parrots some 2 dozen strong.  I did not expect this, but I was not surprised.  When I first entered the pond, I was wondering where the egrets might be.  An osprey flew by, the ring billed gulls were there and a kingfisher rattled from the lower branches of the trees.  But, when I got halfway up the first part of the pond, near the shoreline for the graveyard, there were the snowy and great egrets, and a yellowlegs and some black ducks.  A pair of Canada geese flew over, and the town was still quiet enough that I could hear the echo of their honking.

After an hour I returned to the sandy beach to collect S and take her along.  We paddled the full length of the pond, our first canoe outing in many months, if not a whole year.  We repeat all of those sightings adding one single ruddy duck that was swimming near the middle bridge.  It is S's first time in these village waters and she absorbs the newness of it.  More important to me was that she is back in the canoe, inside the most special of places where my soul is unguarded.