nichepoetryandprose

As a result of my work, I have been privileged to see some remote, very special places in New Brunswick. 

One of these is Clear Lake, a pristine lake in the south west area of the province.  To reach Clear Lake, we canoed across Sparks Lake and made the short portage from Sparks to Clear.  The portage crosses the narrow divide between two watersheds – Sparks Lake eventually flows into the Magaguadavic River, while Clear Lake is part of the Pocologan River system.

topographic map showing Clear Lake, Horseback Lake and Sparks Lake

Clear Lake is a deep lake with remarkably clear water.  Lake depth measurements from the New Brunswick Aquatic Data Warehouse show the maximum measured depth to be 29.6 meters (97 feet), although deeper depths have been recorded.  Stones on the bottom of the lake look like they are only centimetres away, but when you put your hand into the water, you quickly realise they are far out of reach.

standing beside Horseback Lake, a small lake just west of Clear Lake, October 1992 (photo by J. O'K.)

Clear Lake

~

behind us

dry leaves settle

waves on Sparks and Redrock

~

Clear Lake

bottle blue

silences our chatter

reeds and aluminium

whisper

~

we glide

~

between islands

group of seven trees

flung southward

quartz cobbles

rim the shore

dark Porcupine

bristles with conifers

tangled in the surface

plunge eighteen fathoms

to a cove

gathered in arms

of granite and pine

a cabin perched green

shadows peering

over the edge                                               

~

sudden and silent

sunken logs

caressed by crescent suns

cast through ripples

only a touch away

~

through the mirror

shattered

numb fingers search

down

down

~

essence always

out of reach

~

dissolved

in the clear lake         

~

Published as: “Clear Lake”, 1999, River Revue 5

(revised) 

© Jane Tims