North Summer Night Slow breezes tug at the face of the slough, Black water ripples and sighs. Pine trees are sentinels, whispering, shhh, To silence a beast's mournful cries. Gusts high aloft tear the seamless black night, Cloud curtains draw to the side, Revealing a stage lit by blazing star light For the white moon's celestial glide. A proud prima donna, at her full peak, She tests the black water below. Fragrant and sweet, it laps at her cheek, Inviting her into its flow. A queen with her handmaids, the moon and the stars Bathe in the little black lake. Floating and skipping on silver-fringed bars, With shimmering beams in their wake. Wind becomes cold, trees protest and cry At the onslaught of chill slicing pain. Moon and her sisters flee back to the sky, For night clouds are warning of rain. First random splatters sprinkle so light, And dimple the slough's wrinkled face, Adding new rhythmic sounds to the north summer night, As rain shrouds the trees with wet lace. Black wind and black water their promises keep. Rain drops are swallowed and gone. The slough smoothes its brow and soon goes back to sleep To wait for the north summer dawn. --Cat Dubie