The flat, reflective water is the seat

After Monet's 'Water Lilies'

The flat, reflective water is the seat
for subtle lilies. Where the iris grow
I hear the bugs sing, above in the trees
a couple birds are sleeping. Simple leaves

fall from the oaks alone, the blue-green color
of the water by the cypress seems to
hold the sky. Yet, then again the distance
draws my eye into her: she is a painting

I can't extract myself from. The green floating
on the water suggests a life, a being
of her nothing. The mirroring of the flat,

tidal surface is luminescent. I remember
her words as if they were colors and her scent
as if it were the light that dressed my gaze.