The lake’s a silent lady
She doesn’t whisper or stir
She just watches and waits
With an expression calm and clear.
The flowers on the bank
Curtsy to the wind
While the weeds nodding vigorously
Deny that they have sinned
Further up, in the grass
Suddenly, a snake strikes
At a heedless, unwary traveler
Who’s careless of where he hikes.
The lake drinks in the scene
With her shrewd penetrating glance
And then, having satisfied that all is well
Falls back in a meditative trance.