Cleethorpes Boating Lake

On the East Coast of England there’s a small resort

Called Cleethorpes, where I happen to reside.

And out towards the Pleasure Park

A short way from the shore

There is The Boating Lake.

I love to go there on a still, sundowning evening

When the parking is free.

To walk those walkways around the lake,

Dreaming I’m on Starfleet Academy Campus.

Walkways flanked by lawned hillocks and shrubs.

The lake is fringed by red-flowered reeds

And punctuated by ducks and geese.

Families and couples roam about

As I sit in meditation

Watching and listening

To the central fountain play.

Such a tranquil scene,

Far from the madding crowd.

Go over the bridge and cross the mini-railway line:

Before you reach the saltmarsh and the sea

You’ll find a stretch of shrubbery and trees

A haven for the birds

And for me,

As I walk my favourite path.

The lake is thus a prelude

To some splendid growth

As nature does its thing.

Serene and tranquil everything

A spiritual feeling

As I meditate

Beneath multi-layered clouds

Under endless sky.

Paul Butters