Thursday, April 8, 2010

These Magnificent Mountains

Carpets of color, violets and vinca
On the winding drive down Towee Falls Road.
The falls drop off to a cascading creek,
Lined with every sort of flowering tree.

The trees of Pear, Plum, Dogwood, and Cherry,
Are both weeping and otherwise growing.
The yellow daffodils -- mostly dying --
Bright blankets of phlox have taken their place.

Various turns in the tight forest roads
Reveal views of pastoral perfection:
Cattle and calves graze in green pastures with
A backdrop of mountain springtime grandeur.

Redbuds peek out of the waking landscape
With their pale purple lacy flower fronds,
Until we’re west of the Hiawassee
Where another nature treat lies in wait.

The highway to Chattanooga begins
A corridor of the colors of spring.
Every shade of new green and red oak bud
Is displayed on the mountainsides’ canvas.

The pastureland opens mountain murals
Extending as far as the eye can see,
And the redbuds, the resplendent redbuds
Beautify the boundaries of our high-way.

This is a sensational spring season,
Made more so by the bitter winter’s cold --
Reminding us that these mountains may be
The most magnificent places on earth.