Like many others’ favorite
parts of other lakes
is where, when the tide
is higher than other days,
the lake will insist
on pushing itself
up onto concrete,
between orange ladders
spaced along the path,
uphill onto more earth -
using its upper body strength -
to climb and spread like coffee
on a countertop
The waves take turns
like people in bleachers
starting first
from the north
end of the trail
The lake reaches further,
through cracks and gravity,
to wet as far as it can reach -
breaking its own records
every few minutes,
a few inches at a time.
Other people
stopped to watch too,
or watched while walking -
enjoying watching water
act like water -
pulsing from north to south
up, onto,
and through
uneven surfaces,
until it turns back to towards the ledge,
again between the ladders,
and eventually
spills back into itself.
