Night Pastoral

Shadows led
by headlights speed over
a causeway
bisecting lake from bay

After midnight,
the water has darkened
and settled
into a smooth expanse

Heard, but not
seen, a splintering splash
only reaffirms
the depths of this silence

Then, feather
light, defying the weight
of darkness,
a bird’s summoning call

Shrugging off
cloud cover, a moon’s
pliant light is
mirrored skyward again