We've been going up to Algonquin for quite awhile, sketching, painting, and generally exploring the park both on foot and by canoe. We've experienced many changes. When we first went up to the park back in the 1970s the sides of the road were cleared and visitors would stop and feed White-tailed Deer. Moose, especially in the spring, would be spotted on numerous occasions while driving the Corridor across the park. Now, nearly 50 years later the trees at the side of the highway have grown, and whereas at one time you had views of lakes, they're now hidden. The lakes are still there ready to be paddled and the trails are still there ready to be hiked, but for the sightseer, much of the experience is now hidden. Occasionally, one might see a moose at the side of the highway. Deer, their browse gone, are rarely seen. And...the park is much, much busier. Toronto once distant, with improved highways, has become a day trip Accommodations in nearby villages and towns, during the peak periods, are almost non existent, and the price for a night's stay has become prohibitive. We're, obviously, getting older so it doesn't really matter. We've enjoyed the experience. It may, perhaps, be time to enjoy a different experience. For those of you, however, who have yet to experience Algonquin's solitude, let me tell you that it's still there.....you're just going to have to share the experience with growing numbers and hike a bit further off the trail to experience Raven's Algonquin.
The Raven (Part I)
The raven soared on the wind
and drifted south to lands condemned,
where crows,
and other creatures,
much despised,
lived lonely lives on land depleted,
of forests green,
and sparkling waters.
As if to test
he called a challenge,
and far below,
a crow was wakened.
Taking flight -
it issued warning.
High above
the raven
saw the crow take flight,
and struggle
to achieve height.
Another crow was soon to follow,
soon another,
and then another.
Screaming threats
the crows ascended.
The raven wondered at the mystery,
and wheeling on a thermal
was soon ascending,
higher,
then higher.
The crows were tiring
as the raven
caught a northern breeze,
and drifted,
with ease,
to a land of sparkling waters,
and tall green trees.
A land called Algonkin.
The Raven (Part II)
Time passes, as time does.
The crows,
in search of forests green,
and pristine waters,
an errant wind did bring.
Algonkin was no longer
the place that it had been.
Taking flight
the raven soared with the wind
and drifted to a land
where time began,
when ice retreated and water receded.
To a land,
with worn mountains as white as snow.
With trees that whisper,
and with lakes -
clear and cold.
To a land
where time stands still.
A land called Anishinawbek.
The Raven (Part III)
Time passes, as time does.
When,
one morning,
in twilight’s stillness
the raven awakened with a start.
Weak,
and tired,
from journeys endless,
he sensed his end was near.
Once more
he summoned up his strength
and soared to heights
he'd long forgotten.
The raven soared
on raging winds,
high above a shining sea,
to a place with rushing rivers,
worn mountains, and tall fir trees.
To the land of Gichigami.
And in this place of solitude
the raven remembered,
quiet moments,
and memories long forgotten.
And as time passed, as time does,
with failing breath,
and dimming vision,
the raven’s spirit
soared.
The Raven (Part IV)
The raven’s spirit lingers in those places,
where once he wheeled and soared.
Impressions made upon those encountered,
will live,
forever more.
