Today the lake is at 1.61 metres
on the guage.
The highest it reached in the wettest
point of 2024 was 1.53 metres.
This is the middle of summer—
the end of birak, approaching
bunaru.

The coots have been out in the middle
for some time, diving down,
with the swans on the edges.
Occasionally a diving musk
or bluebill swims across.
Most of the ducks have been 
in the shade of the figs 
of the south end,
happily eating
the falling fruit.

But now, joining the coots in the lake’s centre,
are swans and a growing number of ducks.

It’s not so much that the water is falling down,
as all the grass—that’s had so long (in time)
and so much (in water)—
has been slowly, gradually,
rising up.

So that when you look out on the lake today
there are patches of greeny surfacy ‘stuff’
where it looks kind of shallow
or maybe someplace you could walk across.

But, again, the level has not fallen,
so much as the depths have risen up.