Cafe on the Canal

I went down to the patio at the Indiana Historical Society,

a place where I could sit out of the sun 

to write or sketch. Next to the Canal, 

the site seemed private, despite the constant parade 

of joggers, cyclists, and people in paddle boats.

Flocks of geese and ducks came in to alight on the Canal, 

sending up sprays of water as their feet braked

on the surface. I sat for a half hour, feeling as though

I had the place to my own. When I left, I realized

another woman had the same idea;

as she sat under a cafe umbrella, she read

her e-book, probably with the same

feeling of peace that I'd enjoyed.