Pine trees on high alert
Single squirrel standing guard—
“No Christmas trees here!”
Grooming trails with care
Mountain welcomes each skier—
Tranquility shared
Morning’s rising sun
Landscape welcomes warming light—
Night’s snowflakes glisten
Gray sky flies overhead
Winter’s cold arrives
Autumn now asleep
Chilling nature’s hard drive
Spirit fills every tree
Spring postpones her speech
Peace lands with each flake
Covering whitest beach
Silence rejoins landscape
Yet, very much alive
Transfusion hidden
Feeding grace to survive
Arctic freeze now coming
Double seal each hatch
Ship awaits next storm
Traversing icy patch
Night’s dreams seeking comfort
Winter’s frost deploys
Hope’s blanket of snow
Snuggling beneath warmth’s joy
Backroad’s autumn drive
Invigorating colors—
Endless leaves’ parade
Farmer’s pumpkin patch
Invitation to pick some—
Harvest of orange
Quilted with color
Warmest blanket nearly done—
Each cascading leaf
Glorious morning’s start
Grasping Creator’s hand
Warmed by faithful, rising sun
Waking His precious land
Nature’s intimate breath
Towering forest sings
Harmony’s rhythm soaring
Flying on eagle’s wings
Portrait’s autumn colors
Bordering every street
Imagination sails free
Painting each scene, repeat
Gentle spirit gathers
Energizing each thought
Another page waits to breathe
Tying landscape’s love knot
Trusted clock standing still
Adjusting every view
Tomorrow postponed for now
Tasting fall’s freshest brew
Stillness of morning’s breath
Tranquility fills heart
Horizon’s brightening light
Opening with day’s fresh start
Majestic giants stir
Delicate, swaying leaves
Darkness now evaporates
Wearing new day on its sleeve
Harmony’s early tune
Silent, yet always heard
Freedom composed, set to sing
Listening to treebound birds
Creator sketches scene
Every detail pronounced
Day renewed in nature’s midst
Colored with life, as announced
August’s final countdown
School campuses alive
Summer’s vanishing breath
Autumn’s changes soon arrive
Dog days’ final heatwave
Students receiving books
Life’s transitioning steps
Autumn paints nature’s crisp look
Calendar page now turns
Summer’s final footsteps
Cooler weather ahead
Autumn’s leaf-colored doorsteps
Landscape’s pace quiets down
While football fans cheer on
Rustling of drying leaves
Autumn sketches, far from gone
Timeless journey transcends
Harvest complete, fields bare
Classrooms find their rhythm
Autumn’s presence everywhere
This poem is dedicated to the many lives which have come and gone along the tracks of the Great Northern Railroad from years ago. Perhaps you can feel the living spirit still riding the Empire Builder passenger train across the Hi-Line of Montana.
Feeling a bit like heaven
Blessed Big Sky, almost home
Paradise spelled as two words
Riding free, spirit’s train roams
Scanning God’s creative touch
Mountains shaped by nature’s hand
Valleys carved out by rivers
Dreaming of this treasured land
Stirring up past memories
Iron horse roaring at top speed
Long ago, been here before
Coming home, spirits now freed
Flashing by Hi-Line’s vast farms
Cropland caresses these tracks
Golden fields of wheat ripen
Waiting for harvest’s comeback
Fading daylight turns to night
Darkness covers Montana’s peace
Town lights twinkle here and there
Thinking back to life’s past lease
Climbing through Marias Pass
Glacier Park saying good-bye
Big Sky’s wonder never fades
Ageless spirit, dropping by
Originally published December, 2020.
Gentle morning clouds
Gather above lofty peaks
Valley awakens
From nightly mystique
Misty rain drops in
Moisture covers quiet fields
Valley’s sunrise climbs
Rainbow’s blessed shield
Lake’s tranquil waters
Every fisherman’s delight
Valley smiling back
Trout ready to bite
River’s pace slows down
Dam hidden at canyon’s gate
Valley sings with joy
Faith’s daily soul mate
Creator shares peace
Small town’s unflappable pace
Valley’s spirit leads
Witness morning’s grace
God’s creation under the Big Sky
Treasured landscape covers this vast land
Immense prairies flow into mountains
Few places on earth looking this grand
Rugged backbone of the continent
Chiseled spine of the Rocky Mountains
Stray mountain ranges dotting the plains
Cascading streams flowing as fountains
Three distinct rivers form its headwaters
Mighty, boundless Missouri River
Eastward, collecting the Yellowstone
Precious mountain rains move downriver
White-tail and mule deer camp in thickets
Pronghorns graze in the midst of grasslands
Mountain valleys gather elk and bears
Ducks and geese pilot into wetlands
Frequently titled the Treasure State
Montana shines under its Big Sky
People flocking to witness its gems
You just might meet a Buckeye nearby
I could probably write something about my native state of Montana every day. It will always be a very special place to me. Watch out, you just might run into a Buckeye returning to the Big Sky.
Originally published December, 2020.
Precious butterfly
Creator’s natural art—
Fragile, yet strengthened
Summer’s final days
Another field ripening—
Harvest’s bounty waits
Calendar’s page turns
Landscape knowing its schedule—
Morning’s autumn peace
Big Sky Buckeye 