At the Lake
Beneath fleecy cotton clouds
giggles and screams of joy
erupt as kids
fly off the dock
into the ripple and rush
of the lake’s welcoming hug.
Draft, © Catherine Flynn, 2026
Please be sure to visit Tanita at {fiction, instead of lies} for the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Reading to the Core 
Yes, please! I want to jump into that welcoming hug. How wonderful!
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Summer joy in the “ripple and rush,” love your playful poem, Catherine. Summer fun, for sure!
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Into the ripple and rush – oooh, please and thank you, I want to go into the cool ripples, too. It makes me laugh to think how I was game to leap into any body of water as a kid – I hope the kids pictured never lose that freely-given hug.
Happy Weekend!
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What fun! The photo helps me see that floating platform you talked about. You captured summer joy, for sure!
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Catherine, I am adding this one to my lake journal that a sweet PF friend gave me years ago. Thank you! xo
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Your poem is a welcoming hug, too. Thank you for sharing this glimpse of summer.
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This poem makes me wish that playing in a lake had been part of my growing up experience!
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I have only further word on this:
C O W A B U N G A ! ! !
😆
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I can see those fleecy, cotton clouds and you’ve made me want to jump into that ripple and rush!
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Is there a more joyful sound than summer laughter?
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Catherine, your poem is a delightful one. Children always enjoy the fly off the dock and the cool waters of the lake’s welcoming hug. Your word choices bring out the wonder and excitement of a summer plunge.
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Summer captured beautifully, Catherine! Thanks!
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Catherine, delightful! I can hear and see the flying and feel the warm hug of the lake. Beautiful!
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