Lake/Autumn/Winter Poetry

[Poor Richard]

I go with original material only so:


Winni is big
Winni is grand
Winni is New Hampshire's largest lake in all of the land

Winter ice is formed we call that "ice in"
"Ice out" tells us when out-of-staters return once again

Wake boats are fun but they cause such a splash
Whipping up the coves, upsetting our visitors from Mass

With all of the people and boaters around
Some with their fancy boats and speakers making all sorts of sound
A loon can be heard calling across the lake
Does loon taste any good after it's baked?

The Big Lake is loved and enjoyed by the many
With 288 miles of shoreline the are sights aplenty

I'll wrap this up with one last line
Visit the lake, have a good time!

[SailinAway]

Off topic (sorry): Sadly, I have lost the poem I wrote that was inspired by a fall night on a mountaintop, but I will share the experience.

In late fall many years ago I backpacked up Hurricane Mountain (3694') in the Adirondacks. I pitched my tent in the trees a short distance from the summit. I was not prepared for how cold it got that night. After doing everything I could to get warm in my tent and shivering for a couple of hours, I gave up, packed my sleeping back in my backpack, and headed up the trail to the summit. In those days, we didn't have headlamps and lanterns like today. I lit my way with a candle. At the top I hunkered down out of the wind between some rocks, pulled my sleeping bag around me, and looked up at the sky. Sleep was out of the question, so I looked at the sky all night. So far from city lights, the stars were brilliant and I watched them turn about the sky all night. I've rarely seen such a bright sky. Many hours later a thin ring of light appeared on the horizon and slowly grew into a wider band. Finally it illuminated all the foliage in the valley below the mountain.

I never forgot this experience. It shook me up existentially. It taught me that beauty is always available to us, even in the midst of hardship, if we're willing to seek it, and that to be amazed and delighted takes effort but is well worth it. I still live by these principles today.

[camp guy]

Six plus years ago, a Forum poster identified as "Airedale 1" posted an original poem. I have received permission in the past to use this poem, so I decided to post it on the Forum, again, giving "Airedale 1" all the credit. So, to you, "Airedale 1", here is your poem:

ODE TO WINTER

It is winter in New Hampshire
And gentle breezes blow
Fifty miles an hour
At seventeen below

Oh, how I love New Hampshire
When the snow is up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I will hang around
I could never leave New Hampshire
'Cause I am frozen to the ground