Hudson River Revival

"Lake Tear in the Clouds" was an indescribably pretty scene Lewis Pugh hiked in the rain; clouds lifted, he felt serene. He dove in, swam through hemlock, maple, ash and birch An adventure starting in nature's wooden church. Vanderwhacker Mountain, Bad Luck Pond and "Flowed Land" Through turbulent "Opalescent River", hand over hand He saw beavers, osprey, an eagle in the sky Just 300 miles to go, an experience you can't buy. The tides reach Troy and pure fresh waters cease So Lewis often swam at night, in quiet and in peace He would do the backstroke to gaze at the Milky Way Sometimes the romance of night surpassed that of the day. A blue moon was rising, the river bathed in light, The dark waters glowed beneath the stars of night. Past the Catskills the sun rose, and he was still on a roll He looked east at Poet's Walk where writers used to stroll. He passed 200 feet under the Walkway that once was used for rail: The longest footbridge in the world, and it connects to a long bike Trail Then Breakneck Ridge, named when a bull fell off the wall He passed the Croton River, where Paddleboarders try not to fall. He passed the little park where I often take my mom People sit there on lawn chairs, tranquil and calm Past the Palisade cliffs, and the cycling road below Past the north end of Manhattan and the Spuyten Duyvil flow. Past the Cloisters with its Unicorns and medieval art Past the place where Dad first stayed, ambition in his heart Lewis joined the Hudson's legends, and he made a lasting mark When he climbed soaking but happy, at the end, at Battery Park. City dwellers may take the river as a backdrop, mundane, just a given Some people live walled-in lives, it might be better to be driven Henry Hudson found here "as pleasant a land as one can explore" Try looking at the familiar with new eyes, let’s go down to the shore.