the view from Weehawken

The view from Weehawken across the Hudson

Greeting the young couple as they emerge

Looking towards the east each morning

Seeing the Manhattan skyline transforming.

A short bus ride through the Lincoln Tunnel

Midtown density easily accessible to them

Yet here they reside in their different home state

Determined by historical political boundaries.

The perfect location for them to move in together

Facing the city center with its singles scene

Poised on the cliff edge of the Palisades

Next to highways going north and south and west.

Going in opposite directions to work

Returning to their shared space every day

Learning a new routine keeping house

Constructing a life with a place for each other.

Making exciting choices and taking a risk

The way that the adventure of youth plays out

Seeking happiness means reaching for the ring

Grasping the chance before it passes you by.

Celery Farm August 4, 2019

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teenage self

Looking at a photo of me looking back

Looking over my shoulder at the camera

Sitting on a boulder with a pack on my back

Looking out at the view from the heights.

The boy is pleased with himself being there

Climbing the mountains of New Hampshire

Achieving the summit of Mount Washington

Proving himself capable of challenging hikes.

I had not seen this photo in almost 60 years

Though I remember it well having studied every detail

Since I used it to draw a self-portrait in pastels

Getting good results blending vivid colors.

That drawing was discarded along with all my things

Left behind in the house of my childhood

But the memory of the image stayed with me

Never forgetting being there above the treeline.

In my imagination I often go back to retrace the climb

Remembering the trail from the base camp up and up

Stepping on exposed roots on the worn trail

Following a streambed then endless switchbacks.

We were already tired when we stopped for lunch 

Before the steep ascent up the wall of Tuckerman Ravine

Getting hot and sweating though there was snow in the bowl

Then cresting the shoulder onto the cold windswept plain.

Above us the rock cone of the summit beckoned more effort

Struggling up from cairn to cairn scrambling over boulders

Resting to catch my breath and summon another burst

This mountain so rugged higher than I had ever climbed.

Waiting for everyone to make it to the top

Then descending in giant steps to Lakes of the Clouds

Passed by the hut boys loaded down with supplies

Going to the AMC shelter for our overnight stay.

Such a good memory to come back around

When I was on the verge of becoming my own person

When the horizon was distant and anything was possible

There for me to go and do whatever I liked.

Skylands August 1, 2019

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