In darkness I lay still under stars,
the waves embracing me in the depths
of their singing, fueling my mind’s rush
and retreat from things best contemplated
under the influence of water, wind.
Hold me fast among the scoured stones,
Great Lake, as your waves embalm me
on my journey through the night.

Later in the moony light, the silhouette
of a bear appears on the porch ceiling,
the anvil head, snout, and one paw
pointed east, bringing a strange solace
to a dreaming man on a cottage sofa,
damp to his bones,
the watery air sifting through
screens like a heavy ghost.

Jef Leisgang lives in Fort Atkinson in a house built in 1904 with his wife, son, daughter, and cat. He manages a used bookstore on the east side of Madison, and enjoys a good doppelbock, Indian food, and jangly guitar bands from the 80s, or any era really.