The Old Covered Bridge

THE OLD COVERED BRIDGE

Late fall
Country scene
One birch, close by, already bare
With a taste of frost in the air
And this sturdy, old, covered bridge – this haven -
Strong tiled, tightly sided. A few slats still thrive -
Strips of weathered-green survive.

Late fall,
Looking far, from Terry’s Mount,
At distance she commands the eye -
Her autumn regalia, the peaks, gold-burnished dell
And the mill-side water’s ebb and swell	
One’s fancy cannot help but dwell on a few histories
Imagining, within, the seasonal mysteries

Cowbells
The few been herded o’er,
How the boards did rattle,
The frightened, mooing-roar of cattle,
Stomping, desperation. And old herder Jim –
Yelling, shooing, face beat red.
Twas near the end of him.

Blizzard
I’m limping, all wore out,
We’re near a half-mile from home
Old covered bridge looked so good.
Inside, all was safe, and dry the sure-caulked wood.
Outside, the tempest’s blast, high drifts a fright
She saved us did old covered bridge that awful night.

Spring flood
Worst winter folks could remember
Storm after storm beginning early November
Come March, though, those roiling, boiling clouds abated,
Temperature soared, the record heavy fall quickly melted.
Old covered bridge, standing high, was tested, belted,
Floor washed away, but, in the main, saved those dreadful days.

By moonlight
I sit, thinking, 3:00 a.m., can’t sleep. 
Pitch black, but the Moon kisses her silver tiles
What phantoms lurk beneath, what secrets does she keep -
All those midnight rendezvous, young men’s loving wiles,
All the rustic yearnings born of mere, solitary charm, 
All those fond, romantic plans hatched within her kindling arms.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2012

Poem

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Kendrick Avatar
October 2, 2012 at 1:53 PM
Enjoyed reading your well thought out work..I have had those 3 A.M. awakings...Sometimes get some great inspiration..Thanks for stopping by..The strange thing about one spider web was that it had an arrow highlighted pointing to where the spider sat in her or his drawn up ball acting innocent...Your comments are always uplifting..Sara
Grisetti Avatar
September 18, 2012 at 11:53 AM
I imagine all that can be seen from the old bridge. They were also known as courting bridges. None here in FL, though. Love your poem.
Wesley Avatar
September 14, 2012 at 6:01 AM
How I love this Dave, we have a few here too and they have tales to tell of bygone days. Each stanza takes me through a different phase of time and creaks with past memories! Love, Elizabeth
Dietrich Avatar
September 13, 2012 at 10:30 PM
wow, what tales from this old covered bridge. Romanticism and nostalgia wrapped around this poem, Daver. Incredible!
Loving Iii Avatar
September 13, 2012 at 3:22 PM
Could intro sleepy hollow easily.
Sweetheart Avatar
September 13, 2012 at 3:08 PM
a lovely moment in time daver luv .. so eloquently written puts the reader right there between the lines .. been dealing with health issues luv especially my swollen fingers and hands from rhumatoid arthritis .. oh ..
Horsman Avatar
September 12, 2012 at 3:13 PM
wow daver, the reader is transported to live within the poem, when reading, wonderful!!
Mac Donald Avatar
September 12, 2012 at 1:57 PM
A lovely time synopsis of " THE OLD COVERED BRIDGE" Daver! A source of adventure (would surely spook those cows:); a quiet santuary. Oh, you've given this structure many facets! Enjoying this beautiful write, Daver.
Richards Avatar
September 12, 2012 at 1:41 PM
I can hear those timbers rattle as I walk over this bridge with you.......what an enjoyable, and nostalgic stroll it was to think I was with you all the way across, in the shade and cool shadows of the old covered bridge. Lovely poem.......
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