Placid Waters
Wild only in its freedom,
there is no white water here,
just a paddle caressing
its surface, a stillness
marred only by ripples
of trees dancing as they reach
from the bow of a kayak
to the shore that holds
steadfast their stately canopy.
This is my response to Quadrille #96: Wild Monday — the prompt from Kim at dVerse, which is to use the word wild in a 44-word poem that does not require meter or rhyme.
Image: Ellicott Creek, Amherst New York
(click image for larger view in new tab)
rivrvlogr 
This is the gentlest poem I’ve read so far. An antidote to all that wildness.
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Thank you, Sarah. A pleasant moment like this is always welcome.
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I love the wonderful and silent wildness of a place like that… to paddle in a place like that sounds like something to dream about.
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I prefer paddling on calm water, but some definitely stand out more than others.
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Your quadrille is peaceful and calming, Ken. I enjoy hiring a boat out on the Norfolk Broads, but I’ve never taken out a canoe or kayak. I must try it in the summer. I really like the sound of a paddle caressing the surface of water.
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Thank you, Kim. Surroundings like this give such a peaceful feeling.
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I see what you mean 🙂 You’re perfectly right though, wild is a concept that is purely human. In nature, everything is wild.
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It is. Being in tune with it is the key. 🙂
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Exactly.
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I like the imagery of the ripples in the water making the trees dance. Looks like such a peaceful place.
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And it is. Thank you, Lisa.
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You’re welcome.
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This is beautiful and serene. I especially love that first line, “Wild only in its freedom.” Puts a different spin on wildness.
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A side we should know better. 🙂 Thank you.
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What a peaceful ride that must be! Lovely Ken.
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It’s very calming. Thank you, Linda.
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Beautiful poem, Ken and gorgeous photo (yours?)!
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Thank you, Lynne. I hadn’t paddled this stretch before and it was one of my last before I moved from Buffalo to Missouri. I had just put my camera away when I saw this scene, so I pulled my phone from my vest and snapped the photo.
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Well, that pic is what I call “Irresistible”!
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Ah, the quiet beauty of the paddle caressing the water, the reflected trees stretching and rippling. This captures some of my most treasured moments on water. Thank you.
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Thank you. Kayaking offers some special moments.
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I love how you used the prompt word to describe this peaceful scene. The photo is beautiful, too.
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Thank you, Merril. Being within such a natural scene almost seems like a juxtaposition, so maybe playing with “wild” in this way is just right.
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It worked perfectly. 🙂
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Beautiful image in the illustration and in your words.
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Thank you, Lillian. 🙂
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This is so vivid and calming. It’s simply beautiful.
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🙂 Thank you.
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I like the thought of stillness as only marred by ripples.
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Thank you, Frank. Even those ripples have a calmness about them.
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Beautiful. I love seeing, from a boat, the way the canopy hangs over the water. So beautiful.
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Thank you. Experiencing a scene like this seems like a privilege.
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With all the wildness unleashed lately in public affairs, this TRULY appeals – the calm waters and the steadfast trees – I’m keeping eyes open for humans with these qualities, navigating toward those and away from the wild fray. Thank you! This is a good mental leveler.
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Thank you. 🙂 We need that state of calm in this ongoing storm.
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“marred only by ripples
of trees dancing as they reach”
I do like the visualization of that. Lovely.
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Merci!
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“Wild only in its Freedom” beautiful words convey so much feeling. Makes me ponder the word free.
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Thank you. Yes, and when it comes to our streams, how free are they when they’re vulnerable to the actions of man.
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That was soothing to read. It reminded me of when I used to go canoeing. There is a sense of freedom on the water in the wilderness. Thank you for stirring a memory.
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And thank you for immersing yourself in it!
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I felt transported into the serenity of this scene reading every line. So elegantly descriptive and beautifully done, Ken!
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Thank you! 🙂
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You are so very welcome, Ken! 🙂
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This is utterly gorgeous in its phrasing … gentle as the lapping of waves 🙂
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Thank you. Even those who live on the edge welcome those lapping waves, from time to time.
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I like the thought of stillness as only marred by ripples.
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Thank you. Yes, and even those ripples have a gentle nature.
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“there is no white water here”
i love the gentle warning. The tender statement of fact.
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🙂 Thanks. I think that comes with feeling a part of the scene, one that is so calming that it flows through you.
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I agree. That is true.
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Perfect words, perfect vision…
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🙂 Thank you.
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thank you for sharing this. 😀
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You’re welcome…
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Pingback: Placid Waters ~ quadrille — rivrvlogr – yazım'yazgısı (typography)
Another beautiful moment paddling 🙂
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Thank you, Janice, It’s always a positive experience.
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A beautiful poem for a wandering heart in the nature!
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Thank you!
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This is a place I’d love to be.
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I like the paradox of being wild in its calmness.
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🙂 Thank you. It almost seems a paradox to be able to enjoy being there.
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A perfectly peaceful place.
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Ah, yes. Thank you.
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