Poetry in nature

When we are on trips, De De and I sometimes write poetry. I like Haiku, a short poem developed by the Japanese. De De likes to rhyme.

Here's a poem of mine from a trip to Alaska, where we saw thirteen whales "bubble feeding" through a school of herring.

Bubbled balls of bait

Humpback havoc heaves en masse,

Singing together.

Here's one from De De about a mountain man in Alaska.

A mountain man went walking

Heading for Brooks Range.

His spirit followed that of Muir's,

His life forever changed.

Through valleys, passes, rivers,

It was only dog and man

Until he met up with the wolves,

Who accepted him, than ran.

His hardship's proved a challenge

That would discourage all but him.

He built a raft, carved a pipe,

and snowshoes on a whim.

His journey proved successful

He knew what he had done

His mind and body were in sync

Man and nature became one.

If there are any older grandchildren reading this, we have two questions:

• Who was John Muir, and what was his connection to former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt?


• Can you find the Brooks Range on a map (hint: it is very far from Antarctica).