Romantic Period 2

I Remember a Mountain              December, 1977

Brown winding road that jarred us
Halfway to the top,
To the stone house where stayed
My Grandmother's love:
Laughter, hugs, and baby loaves of bread
Baked specially for me.

Every window, I recall, could see the lake,
Whose coolness beckoned far below
And lapped the mountain's feet.

No path led down from house to lake.
Erratic gorges through dense woods
Tumbled us, instead of water,
'Round boulders, over fallen logs.
Crashing through brush and winter's store of leaves,
We reached--the sky?--Surprise!
Our lake so well displayed her distant brother.

But my fondest thoughts are of the top,
When I would go alone.
See the groundhog and his mate?
Above the pasture there, the coldest spring
Escapes from deep inside the mountain
And hurries away.
Beside an ancient piece of road,
Two scarabs toil with their ball of manure
As though it were a treasure.
Farther up, an old sheep pen,
Long deserted, whose sagging walls
Still hold the sounds.
There, at the very top, the field
Of gently flowing, blowing grass.

Sit down against this tree and listen--
Meadowlarks, and gentle wind, and peace.


Spectrum of Loving                 1978

I love you
As the quiet softness of candlelight,
As the recurring faith in sunrise,
As the busy up and down of daily experience,
As the eagerness of a child's Christmas morning;
And sometimes--
As an overwhelming, dizzying, symphonic crescendo.


Two Equals Three                   1979

We are actually three people: you, I, and we--each equally
important.  Lose respect for one and the other two suffer; but
respecting all will ensure that each is given time to develop
independently, at his own rate.  The development of any one
should improve the quality of life for all three.


My Love                            1979

You're the warming sun,
The soothing breeze,
The sound of gentle rain;
A perfect rose,
A rainbow,
A midnight hurricane.


Dawn                               11 January 1979

I see a new day dawning;
Old Pete is back again!
Controlling emotions,
Not drowning in oceans
Of self inflicted pain.