Tyaughton Canoeing

All I need is
A canoe
A paddle
And a clear, calm mountain lake

With every stroke
I feel my tensions release
My thoughts slide down my arms
Into the paddle

They slip into the water
Enveloping them
Slowly settling to the bottom
Where they feed crawdads and catfish

I raise the paddle
Move it forward for another stroke
Taking in the beautiful calm
Finding peace in my heart

But, the lake is far away
The paddle and the canoe
Often inaccessible
Tensions and thoughts fill my mind

So I breathe
Every breath like a paddle stroke
Every exhale releasing tensions and thoughts
Every inhale taking in beautiful calm

Finding peace in my heart