Jade

GLOWING WATERS Beneath worn stones and silent eaves, I wandered where the daylight weaves— A temple lost to time's slow hand, Hidden deep in bamboo land. Moss-laden steps, cracked and torn, Greeted me like earth reborn. Pillars leaned in ancient grace, Veiled in ivy’s soft embrace. Beyond the shrine, a lake lay wide, Its waters dark, a secret tide. Golden fish in ripples played, In pools of light and shifting shade. Their scales like coins of sunlit gold, Each flicker a story old— Glimmers of some forgotten lore, Reflected on the silvered shore. With gentle hand, I cast some bread, And watched them gather where I led. The crumbs fell slow, like whispered songs, Breaking silence, soft yet strong. Yet from beneath that glassy skin, A shadow stirred, drew me in. An emerald light, like fire alive, From depths where hidden secrets thrive. A merman’s eyes—both fierce and fair, Glimmered green with haunting stare. His gaze held oceans, stars, and night, A mystery bound in emerald light. His tail, a finned and sparkling flare, Gleamed beneath the water’s glare. Each scale a shard of twilight’s hue, In shifting shades of sapphire blue. I felt a pull, an ancient call, From waters deep and forests tall— An echo of a world concealed, A magic only night revealed. And there, within that timeless shade, I glimpsed the life the lake portrayed. A fleeting world, a breath, a spark, Where dreams awake and shadows mark. So, I stood still and dared not move, Afraid to break the silence’s groove. In reverence, I let him be, A relic of eternity.