Cross Country Poem by Anthony O'Connor

Winding, turning, rising and falling
over vast open ranges and meadows
climbing, switching back and narrowing
to tall mountain peaks and deep canyons.

Snow covered hills and peaks give way
to desolate stretches of deep painted rock
or moss covered hollows dotted with creeks
and the misty beauty of the waterfall lingers.

Colorful, changing, full and vibrant
paralleling the ridge the tower of trees.
Endless, deep, as the emerald sculptor
creating the parallel ridge on its shores.

From east to west and back again
this bountiful landscape of ours
deserves our reverence and awe