I awake with the dawn
Sun streams through my window
What will today bring?

Anticipation
Gives hope, gives joy, gives purpose
Looking forward helps

I hike to my lake
Life is growing all around
Newness, bursting, life

Red-wing blackbird, here
Perching on the reeds close by
Letting loose in song

Swainson’s hawk at lake
Soars above, searching for prey
Majestically flies

Lake a gorgeous blue
Reflecting a cloudless sky
This is summer bliss

Sitting on the shore
Hard-boiled egg and peaches
My lakeside breakfast

Egrets perch nearby
One above to scout out fish
And one below to hunt

Not a soul today
Only birds galore, and fish
Serenely quiet

Except nature sounds
With buzzing, chirping, birdsong
Peaceful, calm, happy

There are pelicans!
Brilliant white flashes on lake
Grace meets awkwardness

Seeing pelicans
Swimming across the lake now
Changes my whole day

I can breathe more here
One with nature, with my lake
You’re good for the soul

Jennifer Gurney lives in Colorado where she teaches, paints, writes and hikes. Jennifer’s poetry has appeared in a variety of journals, including The Ravens Perch, HaikUniverse, Haiku Corner, Cold Moon Journal, Scarlet Dragonfly and The Haiku Foundation.