Lines for Lenny

Send me somewhere east of Oreway
where the rapids rush and roar,
and the cobalt skies of autumn
arch wide over Labrador.

Set me free once more on waters
that few men ever see,
with companions tried and trusty,
near the shores of Assigny.

Let me be again transported
to a land I can explore,
and find there, unexploited,
a clean, far northern shore.

Set me down by a swirling eddy
where a cast lure gets a strike,
as the jeweled trout and salmon
vie with the northern pike.

As the day descends to sundown
we would seek a sheltered shore,
where the caribou moss lies thickly-
a boon for our muscles sore.

I would taste anew that sweetness
of those crystal waters pure,
bathe in the lingering sunset
while life and breath endure.

After the bow and sternmen
have slaked their honest thirst,
call the crew anon to chow down
where the last fares like the first.

When the stars are all aglitter,
the northern lights aglow,
loons in their distant discourse
lamenting an endless woe.

I would stand by the comforting campfire,
alert to the last clear spark,
with an oft told tale to savor
against the ultimate dark.

Henry H. Franklin
15 June 1981