Friday, January 14, 2011

Rockland



The river that flows both ways stands at your side like a scepter,
          though majesty belies your humble beginnings.
Once pushed hard and left for dead by the shifting tides
          of an ancient and icy Earth,
Your tousled peaks and windswept valleys now mimic that fortune,
          and savory tears of dew nourish us.

Your ample woodlands cradle crystal lakes, shelter songbirds, deer--
          all creatures of innocence.
O stony fortress, shield your living, your dead--
          for each night the stars shower you
                    --as if in awe--
Heaven seeks to mirror you.
Herenow, your sylvan smile shouts from point to point to point,
These hills are your heart, your home.
          Your Rockland.