Freylinghausen August flowers

slide show

wallkill valley rail trail southern

slide show
google map

sixty six

I remember standing beside the beautiful brook
Motionless, listening and looking
Babbling water splashing on the rocks
Below and above mingling on the surface.

There are wary brook trout here
Spooked by a shadow or a footfall.
My mother is fishing by herself this summer day.
She let me come with her to watch.

All my life I have loved water flowing
Rippling waves sparkling in the sun
Gurgling sounds not quite intelligible
Speaking to me like a voice in a distant dream.

Another time standing on a log across a brook
Stirring the water below with a stick
Blissed out by the beauty of the place
I fell into the brook.

The shock of that sudden wet and cold
And my father’s reprimand that followed
That’s why the memory is etched
But it's not the memory I keep close.

The boy down by the brook by himself
Floating in a timeless reverie.
I remember the peaceful feeling
Letting my thoughts flow past.

responding to beauty

Rosie delights in the happy children’s faces
Pictured by the waterfall at the end of the hike.
She says they are responding to beauty
As she is likewise responding to their beauty.

Rosie’s name is not a misnomer.
She is such an upbeat person.
For ninety-something years now
A better world’s in birth.

Rosie doesn’t get out much these days
But I can share my photos with her.
She likes landscapes and people best
And shares back her critique of my artistry.

It pleases me when she enjoys my images.
My collection connects me with her.
We are both responding to the beauty around us.
I am happy to know this beautiful person.