Winona Poem by C R Clark

Winona is a wildlife management area in the
Ouachita mountains of Arkansas

Winona wakes in springtime, cheerful, with a bent preen
Her winter ravaged skin reveals new raiment, fresh and green
She takes a grand and sober breath then readies for the task
To be, again, the very best that anyone could ask

She was wounded in the great ice storm of many years ago
Her scars stand as a portent, nature’s healing can be slow
But, when one is scarred by nature, then nature will restore
And the scarred is often stronger, even better than before

She summons me each autumn with her promise of respite
And never has she failed to elevate a wearied mind
She’s intensely empathetic with those who come her way
She relieves the dull, prosaic grind and the stress of everyday

In the early morning darkness she has drawn me deep within
Then held me in her bosom as a bright new day began
I have sat with her around the fire, known her hospitality
Then, slept in pure contentment as her warmth surrounded me

In the desert of this daily life, an oasis one may find
She stands apart like Shangri La, a Utopia of kind
Her call goes out each autumn, patrons come from near and far
For renewal of their spirit to Winona of the Ouachitas



Copyright: C.R. Clark-12/18/2007