Marking a Memory
I am recalling how wonderful it was to stand
At the edge of the New River Gorge overlook
And view the expanse of the ridges, so grand,
From a distance the river seemed only a brook.
The mountains, embracing the water’s edge,
Covered in verdant greenery for eons of time
Looking to the south a high steel arch bridge
Awaited the young poet conjuring up a rhyme.
Far, far below waiting for the next coal train
A wayside station, from up here merely a dot,
If one listened closely, river whispered a refrain
While the lad marked his memory on this spot.
A vast breathtaking scape emotionally crushing
Northward, a dam resembling a gigantic comb,
Gates lowered holding back the water rushing
Above the worn weathered rocks awash in foam.
Soon, I shall return to this primordial wilderness
Not far from the place of my birth, so long ago
A place which in spirit I’ve never left, I confess,
Where the lovely waters of the New River flow.
Written May 20, 2022
Copyright © L Milton Hankins | Year Posted 2022
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