Encore
Posted: March 28th, 2026, 1:13 pm
many years ago
still at the cusp of "middle age"
I followed a compass course
to a spot I'd seen on a map -
a local topographic curiosity
well-known hereabouts only
to moose and bear -
and I've thought of that place often...
so yesterday
I returned
an unplanned excursion
this time steering by the sun
this time challenged by the uneven footing
this time crossing stone walls
only where handholds could reassure
my sense of balance...
and before long, I was there -
atop the cliff
looking over the edge at the swamps below...
and I felt a chill -
a shiver of pleasure
awash in a wave of triumphant joy
that I'd thought had died with my youth...
and after I'd turned back,
enormously pleased with myself,
chugging along the miles back home,
I thought,
"this has been a GOOD day..."
still at the cusp of "middle age"
I followed a compass course
to a spot I'd seen on a map -
a local topographic curiosity
well-known hereabouts only
to moose and bear -
and I've thought of that place often...
so yesterday
I returned
an unplanned excursion
this time steering by the sun
this time challenged by the uneven footing
this time crossing stone walls
only where handholds could reassure
my sense of balance...
and before long, I was there -
atop the cliff
looking over the edge at the swamps below...
and I felt a chill -
a shiver of pleasure
awash in a wave of triumphant joy
that I'd thought had died with my youth...
and after I'd turned back,
enormously pleased with myself,
chugging along the miles back home,
I thought,
"this has been a GOOD day..."