To the Mountains

I come to the mountains
From whence cometh
My peace
My wholeness
My soul’s nourishment

As the car crests the hill
A vista opens
Revealing
Forest
Fields and
Mountains near and far
From Kearsage 
To the Whites
The vista embraces all
Birds soar
Riding wind currents
In the valley below
The trees
Now mostly barren
Stand nevertheless
Unabashed
In their greys of winter

The zinnias
Persevere
In contributing color
To the field
Amarinths
Stretch skyward
Their cranberry colored
Feathery blooms
Enrich the landscape
One tree
The tallest
On orchard’s edge
Still beautifies
With its cloak of 
Sunset orange
Its color
Vibrant 
With the frame of grey
Created by
Woodland comrades

The scene plays out
Beneath a deepening
Drape of blue
As the sun’s rays
Lower in the 
Evening sky.