Claude Monet painted a series of more than 250 water lily paintings,

a major tenet of his work the last 31 years of his life.

He so loved his water lilies, gardeners rowed a small boat each morning,

out to the middle of a pond, just to dust and clean them, per his bidding. 

*

three twigs neatly arranged beneath the dash,

carefully aligned between accelerator and brake

urine-filled pop cans and bottles

hidden in closet crevices, those darkest of corners

fears of a lover’s demise during the night,

vibrating alarms allow silent sentry 

doors locked & unlatched, locked & unlatched

in an exasperating repetition of senseless obsession

*

dappled sunlight augments the subtle splendor

of a simple garden pond —

its lovely waters, a simmering hot-bed

of potentialities