October 25, 2026
Floating on the Fire
The quiet water holds the hill,
A mirror stained in crimson fire;
The buoyant pads are resting still,
As autumn climbs the timber higher.
A tremor where the surface breaks,
To blur the maple’s sunken crest;
A double world the mountain makes,
Where resting leaves on color rest.
Between the bottom and the sky,
The red dissolves in amber light;
Before the glassy waters die,
And take the winter in their sight.
Shifting around the shoreline to align the open dark water and floating lily pads directly over the reflection of a nearby red maple crown. The dead-calm surface leaves the pads anchored in place, while faint surface ripples softly distort the mirrored crimson leaves beneath, creating depth between the water’s skin and the reflected canopy.
Field Notes: Captured on the Canon EOS R5 (BQ8A3352), focusing on the textured surface of the lily pads while allowing the layered red reflection and subtle watercolor ripples to carry the background.