The Mistake Of The Lake... Poem by Denis Martindale

I stood before the languid lake,
So calm yet deadly still,
Remembering one day's mistake,
That caused my thoughts to chill…
I dare not cross the lake at all,
Where my friends died before,
I saw each one from small boats fall,
Each drowned and then no more…
Though Nature walks bring me this way,
No chance would I then cross,
Life's pleasures stay this side each day,
No need to suffer loss…
I've seen this lake claim friends of mine
Who once thought they were brave,
I planted here a warning sign
To keep all others safe…
It's why I check it now and then,
To see that sign's still here,
You see, I'm not like other men…
This lake fills me with fear…
Life proves too precious even now,
Despite its tests and trials,
So I walk on, around, somehow,
On land for miles and miles…


Denis Martindale March 2017.