Japanese Garden
Suspended on air,
skippers prick the pond’s
surface with four toes.
Scattered by a shadow,
they glide, first one
then two, and six.
Under the reflection
of Western Hemlock
and white jet spray,
a school of koi,
orange and fleshy,
follow the leader
amidst the tail flicks.
Sand rises in agitated tufts
to settle in ridges.
by A. M. Adams
