When I Thought of Leaving
Antonia Clark
​

Our weedy lake, by then,
was murky with silt, clouded
with unasked questions
fishtailing through the shallows.
I scattered bits of bread
on the dusty surface,
watched for water snakes.
Like my own dark thoughts,
they coiled in the shadows
under the dock. The trees
leaned dangerously far
over the water, as if reaching
for a lover already gone.
I was hoping for something
sudden and priceless--
sun flashing on tail fin, a splash,
then waves rippling outward,
a black dog bounding
down the shore, a white bird
flapping free from its mouth.