the lake

not far from where i live

maybe a 5 minute walk

is a lake

it is not a large lake

as lakes go

actually it is but a large slough

fed by the waters

of the storm sewer systems

but

it is large enough for

dragon boat races

and

for people to canoe and kayak in

but watching the races and such

is not my favourite time

at the lake

my favourite times

are the ones when there are no people

when i can walk along the paths

that surround the lake

and stop

at one of the many lookout points

recently

while looking out across the lake

something

struck me

i counted nearly a dozen

different species

of ducks

plain coloured

bright coloured

male, female, babies

there were hundreds

of geese

gathering for their migration

there was even a family of cranes

who have taken up residence

in the last few summers

and of course

lots of noisy seagulls

the reeds and tall grass

along the shoreline

was alive

with

blackbirds

chickadees

sparrows

swallows

and the trees around me

were filled with

bluejays

woodpeckers

and even a few straggler

robins

literally

thousands of birds

dozens of species

big and small

all different colours

different voices

from places

all over the world

all together

side by side

in our little lake

as i walked away

i could not help but think

we

the people of this great planet

could take a lesson

from this little lake