I imagine the white oval of the table clothe
As if seen through broken clouds
By giant birds that circle and fight
In the vast darkening sky,
Soft magenta, cerulean, dark green.
Breathe deeply in the quiet Midwestern evening
While the lakes still show the blue afternoon.
The murmur of kind conversation
Floats with crickets, distant motors.
I pull myself backwards, bending,
Twisting on the handlebars.
We are going to the flickering pool
Past the graceful trees,
Victorian houses barely visible,
To see dripping darting silhouettes
Of swimmers, before the life guard's whistle
Closes down the day.
The old university is a silent mass
On the edge of town
Disappearing into the great fields
Full of bugs, manure, promise of food,
Out to the one light town,
A dense forest, an animal scream.

Anders Shafer is a retired Art Professor from UW-Eau Claire where he taught Drawing, Illustration and Painting for 43 years. In the fall of 2025 he was awarded a "Visual Festschrift" by the Art Department, showing with 10 other artists who had been in his classes. He published several books. "Poems Written and Painted" was published by local publisher, Inner Peace Press. It is available at The Local Store (205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire).