Lake Shore Drive

Century-old evergreens swaying in the high summer breeze,

conversing with one another through their emerald green terminals.

Robust root systems protruding from the moss-covered earth,

Monarch butterflies fluttering in to live off the golden milkweed.

Monolith stones turned over to expose the weathered down face

of silicon and carbon that formed over the years.

Birch trees ingrained in the ravenous red clay soaking up the July rainfall,

leaving room for four-legged creatures to run wild and call home.

The cerulean blue sky twirling off the reflective jaded water surface,

pouring over into the rambling stream below.

Bass swimming gracefully under the protection of the wooden docks,

all the kids looking onward form their parent’s chateau.

Thunderclouds rolling on high over the lofty Grandfather mountain,

Discharging electrons at the expense of fallen great oak.

Dry lightning fracturing the sky in half to reveal the once blue sky

Now dark as the hearth and rising smoke.

Speed boats with amused users tied to the back with tubes skidding across the lake,

hoping to catch another well-deserved break.

Paddleboard instructors watching the waves break in front of them,

echoing out to their students who paid with their personal income.

Sinking into the valleys below just waiting to swiftly attack,

bald eagles scouting out the sandy ruins scoring for an afternoon snack.

Song sparrows singing to the hydrangeas below with colorful petals dancing,

While the red-bellied hummingbirds drink the nectar.

White cotton puffs swirling in the heavens above,

Giving the afternoon sun a great shove.

In the night sky with all her majesty Ursa Major scintillating,

The stars have been debating and articulating her power for centuries.

The rolling greens now being made measly by the overgrown trees,

with halting pastures run short by the grazing horses.

Dilapidated housed encompassed by vengeful ivy,

Left to wonder why they became so untidy.