my ruined knee
will carry me no further
than the banks
of my own pond . . .
I dive into stillness
roiling mud
in shallow water
pain obscures
the silver minnows
of the mind
slowly
silt settles
the search
for lotus root
& snapping turtle
the illusion
of a separate self
bites deep—
sharing the sun
with frog spawn
in the depths
an ancient catfish
lurks unseen. . .
I wait for the softest
brush of barbels