Today belongs to the swans
Trumpets exploding mightily overhead
As the canoe cuts through rice paddies
Water the color of Oolong tea
Minnows flitting under the surface
Scattered schools of steady students

I asked myself for a sign
It presented itself in the resilience
Of sturdy lily pads
Surfacing like emerald teflon beds
As I curve my way through

If we are ready now, we are always ready
I hear your laughter bounce in the breeze
As the eruption of wings' clap
My beloved is the air I breathe
As we are here in this holy sanctuary
Limbs stretch as we row forward, on