Torch Lake Vi - Rings of Hope

When I was young We wouldn’t even build the July campfire light Beside Torch Lake until ten at night Taking a cue from Led Zeppelin and the sun That, like us, refused to let go of the solstice sky We’d go until four in the morning And by then The other hand of the sun Was but a note away on the cosmic clock Over the hill not far away The knee-high flames contained within our circle of rocks Surrounded by the outer bow and glow of our faces This tribe of brothers sisters and spouses Shouldered and bending in lawn chairs Just as now A third ring formed by our offspring Sometimes we’re allowed in Sometimes we’re no longer needed by them Or wanted It’s ok The bonds of blood are layered in years Like the cycles marked inside a tree Soon The northern lights will unveil their green shroud The nose of Capella pressed to that veil A small herd of deer will come down from the woods Their eyes red as embers Stomping their hoofs And after that In the early morning The last of the Monarchs.