after my run i find a bench near stowe lake

a little sun   a little shade

from it i watch an elderly gentleman

by the edge of the lake feeding fish   i also watch runners   

parents with strollers   

solitary walkers and musers   skate boarders   

cyclists and bench-sitters like myself   but my eyes

want to settle

upon the gentleman feeding fish   

he offers a peaceful presence   a kakejiku of sorts   

i approach quietly 

what i see isn't a feeding frenzy   rather   a commotion   a roiling

eels   he says   in response to my querying eyes   

pleasantries follow

his english is poor   my japanese non-existent   

~

later   at home   i ask siri   are there eels in stowe lake   

siri informs me

there are unverified rumors of eels in stowe lake   

there is no official biological evidence   

i respectfully verify the rumors

offer unofficial evidence