Our eight silent canoes
Sixteen of us entranced
Pushed off onto the still waters
After 2am on a July night.
Full moon and stars, so many,
To guide us across the lake
And on down river.
Loon and bullfrog
Their calls, their cries
The only sound present
Save for the slice,
The bite of the paddle,
A drizzle of water off the blades,
And hulls breaking the surface.
No one spoke,
None of we sixteen.
Lost in our own thoughts
Not wanting to break
The magic, the spell
The night and the water
Held on all of us.
edited August 21,
2015
Breaking Camp
– v7
(editing
version 3)
edited July
18, 2015
Breaking Camp
– v6
(editing
version 5)
edited April
21, 2015
The Skin of
the Lake – v7
(editing
original)
edited April
21, 2015
Breaking Camp
– v5
(editing
original again)
edited April 19, 2015
The Skin of the Lake – v6
(editing original again)
edited April
17, 2015
The Skin of
the Lake – v5
(editing
version 4)
edited
April 16, 2015
Flowing
North – v4
(editing
version 3)
edited April
16, 2015
the spell of
the night – v3
(editing
version 2)
edited
April 16, 2015
Under
the Stars – v3
(editing
version 2)
edited
April 16, 2015
The
Ledges – v5
(editing
version 4)
edited
April 15, 2015
Breaking
Camp – v4
(editing
version 3)
Edited May 4,
2013
“The Skin of
the Lake – v4
Edited
February 23, 2013
“The Skin of
the Lake – v3”
Edited
February 23, 2013
“The Skin of
the Lake – v2”
July 28, 2010
“The Skin of
the Lake”
-----
edited
April 16, 2015
The
Ledges – v5
(editing
version 4)
edited May 2,
2013
“the spell of
the night – v2”
new poem,
February 23, 2013
“the spell of
the night”
&
Edited
February 23, 2013
“The Skin of
the Lake – v3”
Edited
February 23, 2013
“The Skin of
the Lake – v2”
July 28, 2010
“The Skin of
the Lake”
&
Edited
May 4, 2013
“Under
the Stars – v2”
July
19, 2007 21:28
“Under
the Stars”
&
edited
April 14, 2014
“Breaking
Camp – v3”
(editing
original again)
Edited
May 4, 2013
“Breaking
Camp – v2”
November
23, 2006 18:00
“Breaking
Camp”
&
edited
December 7, 2014
Free
Time – v3
edited
May 28, 2014
Free
Time – v2
posted
May 24, 2004
Free
Time
saved
March 26, 2004
&
Edited
November 2, 2013
“The
Ledges – v4”
Edited
May 4, 2013
“The
Ledges – v3”
Edited
September 20, 2012
“The
Ledges – v2”
editing
the original again
inspired by
reading it at Poets’ Corner
monthly poetry
reading,
at the Suncook
Senior Center
September 10,
2012
“The Ledges”
Written
July 14, 2000.
It
is based on a single night in the summer of 1977 when I was part of a group
from Claremont's Stevens High School that canoed the Allagash in northern
Maine.
Allagash
Wilderness Waterway
&
It
was the third and final major canoe trip I went on (Saco River in 1975 starting
in Fryeburg, ME, Allagash in 1976-July-ish when it was warmer and slower). This
trip was earlier, in May, when the water ran faster and the time was spent
moving down river with the flow of the river. Nights were a lot cooler and the
food was a lot different. Many of us had bad hypothermia the first night
because it was a cold rain and none of us had unpacked our bags to pull out the
foul weather gear. I remember well having to strip off all of my cold wet
clothes and sharing a sleeping bag with another camper. The night written about
here started innocently enough. We arrived at this particular campsite on Eagle
Lake (or Churchill Lake) earlier than normal, because of the river's current.
We all set up each tent and set the dinner fire going. I think it was fried
bologna. We all turned in early. We were tired. The moon rose before 11. There
were ants and black flies everywhere. One of the campers had to sit by the fire
at each campsite to ward off the black flies. Anyway, one by one we all
realized we weren't going to sleep any more that night. Before am, we were all
pacing around, uneasy. The leaders all agreed to put out for the next camp. We
weren't in any rush at am though. This was the way I felt about this night.
After we put in mid morning at the next site, I remember the wonderful brook
trout we caught and I can still taste it, twenty-three years later. I think
these times, when I was moving from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, when I was
canoeing the Saco and then the Allagash were some of the happiest of my high
school days. On the 1976 trip, from Massachusetts, I found the canoe paddle I
wrote about in the poem "Wind" I always talked about going back to
the Allagash; but I have never gone back. It wasn't until 22 years later that I
finally got my canoe again.
All of my
poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights
reserved. Contact me at Ray
Foss for usage. See all 38,980+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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