Roller Rink

Kendall and Steve's pond

Elbows out, hunkered down,
the blue dasher dragonflies spin across the pond,
on rollerskates, an inch above the water!
“Hey, you guys, look at this!”
they yell back and forth to each other,
showing off, dodging their brothers and sisters,
speeding across the pond in magnificent synchrony.
Now and then, a water bug
scoots upon the surface, making arrow-shaped ripples.
Tadpoles watch, disinterested, from the shallows,
unaware of the metamorphosis awaiting them up ahead.
The big whitetailed dragonflies float above it all,
grand and elegant, at their own slow pace.
The airborne roller rink is a bright blue shout of “fun!”
Toss yourself into the fray,
go for the speed, and just go!

Annelinde Metzner
Kendall and Steve’s pond,
Fairview, North Carolina

Pond through the trees

Path to the pond