Indiana's Waters
by Michael Doyle

Indiana first greeted me with a rainy season.
It lasted about sixty days and tried my reason.
Patiently, I've explored this place and its stops.
There's so much to see between the velvet raindrops.

The backroads are filled with flowered beauty,
And kept my eyes open to ravines that are new to me.
Every flower and towering tree whispers pure majesty.
The colors of each season paint God's rich tapestry

From moonlit rivers with wooded shores,
To lakes and streams, ponds and more,
Each holds life created by God's hand,
Hidden there from ponds to vibrant wetlands.

Shadowy sycamores hold the scent of summer's bliss,
Each breeze whispers of wonders that I might miss.
Even now, as I engage in a study of photography,
Nearly all nature preserves provide water as a nursery.

Lush and green like a Garden of Eden well-grown
The waters have nourished more peace than I have known.
From the Ohio River to the sandy shores of Lake Michigan,
It's on the banks of the Wabash that I am home again.

From moonlit rivers with wooded shores,
To lakes and streams, ponds and more,
Each holds life created by God's hand,
Hidden there from ponds to vibrant wetlands.

Once, this land was part of a shallow inland sea.
Over the course of time, she has changed by necessity.
Being at once a muse and keeper of secrets found,
Indiana's circle of life is the waters that abound,

Skipping pebbles that ripple across the waterway,
Memories come back to times of full sunny days.
I have found that life's meaning is in a child's laugh 
As a wade in the water leads to another bath.

From moonlit rivers with wooded shores,
To lakes and streams, ponds and more,
Each holds life created by God's hand,
Hidden there from ponds to vibrant wetlands

(c) May 16, 2026   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved