Lullaby

The long canoe
Toward the shadowy shore,
One... Two...
Three... Four...
The paddle dips,
Turns in the wake,
Pauses, then
Forward again.
Water drips
From the blade to the lake.
Nothing but that,
No sound of wings;
The owl and bat
Are velvet things.
No wind awakes,
No fishes leap,
No rabbits creep
Among the brakes.
The long canoe
At the shadowy shore,
One... Two...
Three... Four...
A murmur now
Under the prow
Where the rushes bow
To let us through.
One... Two...
Upon the shore,
Three... Four...
Upon the lake,
No one’s awake,
No one's awake,
One... Two...
No one, not even you.