Lake Ella, Midtown Sanctuary






One of the places I go for peace and equanimity is Lake Ella, in Tallahassee. Many elements intermingle there:

   A glassy water surface

   People of all ages tuning in to the lake, walking alone and together

   A variety of water birds: herons, egrets, ducks, geese, anhingas

   Very tiny ducklings trailing mama in orderly ways

   Fluffy goslings feeding in the grasses

   Splashings of all the animals in the water

   Turtles bobbing their heads up and down, up, and down.

   Spanish moss dripping down the trees marking her edges.

   Lake Ella is the "nombril" of this city, yet she always draws an outward gaze onto her ecosystem.

  The name "Ella" means "magical fairy" in the English tradition, and magic is indeed circulating here.

  Yet in those moments when jazz is floating across the lake from a solo performer,

   I feel the soulful presence of queen Ella.

 

           I want to return

                                   again,

                                              and again,

                                                     and again

                                                          to walk
                         
                                                          her periphery,
                               
                                                           step
                                                 
                                                           by
                                               
                                                           step,
                    
                                                           deliberately.

                                                           Ella is

                                                           always
                                   
                                                       familiar,

                 and never the same.



Where do you go for a sense of sanctuary?









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