I left the apartment an hour early on the way to play taxi, my to-do list incomplete. The cold water of the creek was calling my name: “Jackass,” it whispered.  The water was lower than I expected, but still cool enough and reaching my knees at one point. I walked down the middle of the creek to get a better view of the rock wall about 50 yards from the water bridge. As I traversed, the sun played hide and seek and changed the colors wildly. I found the water snake in its usual spot on the left side of the bank, coiled in a significantly deeper pool of water near a log. When I snapped the picture of my shadow in a shallow point in the water, I noted the prismatic effect the sun had on the water. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It looked like the sun and the shadows made a tacit agreement to render what I was experiencing in my head. I watched the dancing green and blue until it faded. I finished by giving the tiny minnows the opportunity to nip at my feet on the other side of the water bridge. My to-do list will still be in the apartment upon my return. The snake will remain coiled until the shadows grow longer. And the birds will chirp and sing as countless passersby pass on the trail above.  X
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