Month: January 2006

Life Is An Adventure

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Life Is An Adventure
For miles we’d walk the railroad tracks
with heavy burdens on our backs.
Each tie came closer to our goal
as if achievements of the soul
just to experience and then move on…
a precious moment now here, now gone.
How our eyes and ears would strain
for warnings of oncoming train
around the bend or before the bridge
not far from a heavily wooded ridge.
At times we felt the instinctive fear
when needing to jump clear
or run past rock-cuts on the way.
Sometimes you court danger and get away
unscathed by risks you choose to take.
Adventure called us to ‘Lost Lake”
and the well-hidden cabin we had,
built by my husband and his dad.
In all seasons, it was a welcomed sight.
There, nearby wolves howled at night
and moose left tracks on all our trails.
Wildlife and weather enriched our tales
embellished more with each repeat
after leaving our secret, rustic retreat.
For miles we’d walk the railroad tracks
with lighter burdens on our backs.
Each tie came closer to our goal
as if achievements of the soul
just to experience and then move on…
a precious moment now here, now gone.
August, 2000

At Lone Wolf Lake

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At Lone Wolf Lake
Years later the memory sprang suddenly to mind.
“Whatever possessed me?” I wondered aloud.
“What a wild and crazy thing to do!”
Dad had said, “Try fishing Lone Wolf Lake”
when I sought to entertain a visitor from the south.
“Okay,” I replied, determined to give him
a taste of our Northern Ontario wilderness
that he’d not soon forget.
Lines cast from shore, I saw his wolfish grin
as we waited in the hot, still air.
Oh, oh! I said silently to the swarm of blackflies.
Am I Little Red Riding Hood to his Big Bad Wolf?
As he tried to devour me with an unwelcomed kiss,
we heard loud, crashing sounds advancing toward us.
Relief transformed into awe in that magical moment.
A magnificent bull moose appeared.
He stood in his power and glory just a few yards away,
head slightly bent in a challenging stance.
Oh, oh! I said silently to the mosquitos. What now?
Then a sense of predatory wildness came over me
with a fearless courage unlike I’d ever felt.
The moose reacted instinctively, turned around,
and headed back into the bush as fast as it could
with me chasing after it, unarmed, and running
as if my life depended upon the hunt.
When the feeling passed, I stopped, shook my head,
and waited ’til the Big Bad Wolf caught up.
He’d changed too. A sheepish grin. Fear in his eyes.
I laughed then, as I do now.
Whatever possessed me at Lone Wolf Lake?
February, 2000 revised march, 2004

Awakened

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Awakened
I rose from dreams of dancing in lush gardens
filled with bright colours of light-hearted laughter
blooming here and there, warm and hot.
Bravely, I opened the heavy, shielding curtains
to discover again the death-shroud of Winter—
a stark, white burial linen
draped upon the body of the Earth.
Above it, the ethereal haze of still, cold air
revealed to me a haunting Presence—
a Silent Being whose essence spoke
of an indifferent, strange Unknown.
Then Dawn’s first light gently transformed
the starlit sky and alien world
with welcoming, healing hues
of its affectionate embrace.
The energy of such miraculous beauty
spread and flowed freely
through my awakened heart and mind.
This free and friendly Spirit of the Morning
lifted me beyond The Human Dream.
With dawning Spring, we merged as one
to touch the frozen, dreaming land
with our radiant, enlivening aura
of sparkling light and sweet-coloured joy.
January, 1997 revised April, 2004

Winter In Northern Ontario

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Winter In Northern Ontario
Winter brings the beauty of sparkling snow on trees,
shovels and aching muscles,
snowbound feelings and S.A.D. expressions
on all but a few returned tourists with souvenir tans,
thrills of adventurous winter rides
always ahead of the plough trucks,
cold winds that critique southern clothing styles,
dreams of debt-enhanced lives,
sexy freedom machines racing down beckoning trails,
continuous mechanical repairs and survival skills,
booze-fishing on ice in little huts,
skis and skates defying death and broken bones
and even the latest fashion trends,
patchwork quilts of reading materials,
the magical world of computers, TVs, DVDs, and
multi-functional sound systems
that take us through time and space
to other realms and seasons
before we come back to another half-year of winter
in our ruggedly beautiful, beloved, chosen domain.
January, 1997

Timeless

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Timeless
Spring in Winter called Alissa and I to explore,
so we drove the winding mountain roads
that thrill you with wonder at every turn.
We traveled from Victoria to Tofino,
with blessings for our adventurous journey
from the ancient trees of Cathedral Grove.
Aboriginal artistry whispered to us
in a quiet, meditative Gallery
offering images to nurture the soul.
A print called ‘Timeless’ spoke directly to our hearts.
Creative Spirit joined the Sun on one side
to the Full Moon on the other
with bright colours and bold lines.
Soon we found ourselves at Long Beach,
walking happily between the Sun and the Moon.
We’d entered the awesome beauty of a timeless walk
on wave-patterned sand firm beneath our feet.
The tide was out, revealing little treasures
here and there along the magical shore.
Seeming near though far, frothy mint-green waves
reached to greet us, then invitingly drew back.
Wet-suited surfers rode upon their crests.
Birds watched from the sand, the water, and the sky.
Scattered across the dream-world landscape,
explorers like us wandered,
soaking in the simple joy of being.
It was a timeless scene in which we walked—
the slowly setting Sun soaring
above the vast Pacific waters to our right,
while to the left the Full Moon sat
like an eagle resting on the tree-tops
waiting for the unknown night.
We still have a Universe to explore
in the cycles of aeons to come
but timeless memories last forever
so we’ll surely relive this one.
February, 2000