I sat in my little rowboat
So far into a lake
And, Oh! thought I;
How far was I!
For I could not even see distant shadows.
And I wondered for a moment,
In my gently rocking boat-
Had it always been this way?
I turned my face towards heaven
And took in a deep breath
That smelled of murky water and fresh air.
Holding on gently to the still oars
I looked around,
The moon and stars shining on the surface of the water.
My grip on the coarse wooden oars tightened.
I continued on,
Surrounded only by the dull plop plop plopping as wood hit water.
I licked the flavor of lemonade off my lips
Which had been there since lunch,
And whistled for a moment
Until I decided the silence was better.
I knew this lake well,
And I knew I could not become lost;
So I was not afraid.
I travelled on until my oars scraped earth.
I pulled the boat through the cool water
And tied it to the dock.
Then, alone, as I usually was,
I laid down with the warm dirt on my back.
I closed my eyes,
The bent boughs of the willow tickling my face,
But I could not-
No matter how hard I tried-
Imagine a scene more beautiful than the one
I had seen with my eyes open.
I love the whole idea of the lake and how the person was so calm about her situation. It was almost written like a story, but it still seemed poetic which is very good. I also love how concise it is and how it "gets to the point" on the first couple of lines.
The onomatopoeia in the "dull plop plop plopping" line was very effective, I thought, and you described things well which created a picture in my mind. And I loved the start:
"I sat in my little rowboat
So far into a lake
And, Oh! thought I;
How far was I!
For I could not even see distant shadows." It opened things very well.
Very very good, keep writing
~ The World