To my people

For my people of the White Mountains,

the tree huggers and mountain enthusiasts,

scaling impossible heights for a glimpse of wonder;

the people of the water ways,

charting new flows and eddies

For my family both of blood and bond,

old houses and backyards where we played

pretending

the world was a canvas to paint, to those

who explored,

who adventured into the unknown.

For those who invented words, worlds

treelight, newlight, kesins

angry seawinds knocking

on the mind door, as if never before

stumbling through life to greet the dawn

For those who picked me up,

who carried me along hard trails,

for the candy on birchbark

thank you

to the ones who held me, helped me

For the Rymers and LongGrass Philosophers,

those both in spirit and in truth

to secret names and places

those willing to be,

whimsical and mysterious

towers and secret words

To those who never doubted,

never gave up

to the kerfuffles late at night,

to those strong and firefilled voices

calling through the night

Thank You