Sunset Cruise

An October evening is an excellent time to be floating in a kayak,  watching as the sun sets beyond the water and trees.

The clouds are in position to provide a canvas upon which
the superb oranges, pinks and reds can contrast with the unscattered blue beyond.

The barest of cool breezes is urging me towards shore,
but the rate will not get me there until after dark.

And I don't want to disturb the mirrored surface of the water with my paddle,
since it is far more disruptive to reflections than the ripples from the rising fish.

The seasonably abandoned camps and cottages are disappearing into darkness
even as the tall, sparse pines come to prominence
as dark silhouettes against the orange of the sky.

I zip my fleece and contemplate the warming exercise of the way home,
but the shifting colors bid me, "Stay a few moments more."

More of the subtle progression from color to darkness is reward enough...

...but while swinging my paddle through its arc
and finally turning my gaze away...

...I am pleased to see that the sunlit moon
had appeared in the east
to illuminate my journey home.

 

Even so, it is impossible to resist one last look.