A young girl
perhaps no more than 14 her auburn hair
in braids down her back
paddles a blue kayak
on the slack green river
She has no destination
the kayak half drifting
half directed
in small circles
in a slow river eddy
The kayak stops moving
The young girl is waiting looking
A blue heron
across the river
draws her attention
for a moment
The girl is not a madonna
or a girl with a pearl earring
She is rather a young girl
perhaps 14 auburn hair
in braids down her back
paddling a blue kayak