How do you thank a real close Friend
Who lifts you up ten times again,
A Friend who means the world to me,
A Park that shares my destiny?

Do you buy it cars and diamond rings
Some lakes and streams, and scenic things
A gorgeous yacht, expensive home?
I can't buy these, so here's a poem.

I know a poem's not much to give
To a great Friend who's helped me live
A much more meaningful lifestyle
So just for you, I smile a smile.

Algonquin Daydream

From Sproule Bay in the early morn
We paddle down the eastern shore
Thinking of our trip ahead
And that long portage we dread.

Down Opeongo Lake we go
Searching for the eastern arm
That takes us close to Dickson Lake
With monstrous trout for us to take.

And now we're on that long portage
Wishing we had stayed at home,
Hoping that around the bend
The time will come for it to end.

On and on and on we trudge
Wondering if it'll ever end.
But there ahead in dim daylight
Stands Dickson Lake, a gorgeous sight.

The canoe is packed so off we go
Sensing that our goal is near.
We're very tired but still we fight
To make it there before the night.

The sun is setting in the sky
As we approach our journey's end.
We reminisce about this day
As we set camp in Cisco Bay.

Algonquin Loon

The weirdest sound that gives you chills
I know is from a loon ..
A sound that echoes off the hills
Beneath the stars and moon.

It starts out with a single cry
That vibrates through the skies.
And pretty soon the air's awry
With queer loon lullabies.

A prehistoric bird amiss
From days of dinosaurs,
That has survived and often is
Entrenched in all folklores.

No greater sound on earth exists
Than listening to a loon,
While camping in Algonquin mists
Surrounded by the moon.

I count the days when I once more
Will hear this forlorn cry,
On windy nights when eagles soar
And stars dance way up high.

The weirdest sound that gives you chills
I know is from a loon ..
A sound that echoes off the hills
Beneath the stars and moon.

Algonquin Prayer

Grant me serenity, peace and tranquility.
Keep me healthy through the winter once again.
Give me another chance, indeed another chance
To camp within Algonquin once again.

If you have time, please listen to me.
Algonquin is my family.
I just can't seem to comprehend
A life without my long-time friend.

Grant me serenity, peace and tranquility.
Keep me healthy through the winter once again.
Give me another chance, indeed another chance
To canoe Algonquin waters once again.

So take me back to springs gone by,
When I was young and oh so shy,
To do the things I should have done
When life was full of joy and fun.

Grant me serenity, peace and tranquility.
Keep me healthy through the winter once again.
Give me another chance, indeed another chance
To fish Algonquin waters once again.

So Lord I pray you'll help me out.
I know you will, I have no doubt.
For if in you I can't believe
Just take my life and set me free.

Grant me serenity, peace and tranquility.
Keep me healthy through the winter once again.
Give me another chance, indeed another chance
To see my Forest friends just once again.

I need a helping hand, a righteous friend.

Algonquin Thunderstorm

The lake was calm, the earth was still.
Deer were grazing on yonder hill.
Birds were singing in the trees,
While squirrels were playing in the leaves.
Clouds were forming in the sky,
As the sun shone brightly way up high.

Then, without a warning of its birth
All hell broke loose upon the earth.
Animals were running to and fro.
Trees were tossed around like snow.
Rain and hail came thundering down
And lightning flashed, and then ...

The lake was calm, the earth was still.
Deer were grazing on yonder hill.
Birds were singing in the trees,
While squirrels were playing in the leaves.
A storm had come and gone away
On a very lovely autumn day.

Ode To Cisco Bay

Three times I tried to no avail
To pitch my tent on Cisco Bay.
But next year 'round the first of May,
I'll try again and will not fail.

For in the wind and blistery gale
I portaged o'er a winding trail,
To come out much to my dismay
A good three miles from Cisco Bay.

And in the snow I nearly froze
My hands and face and all ten toes,
To come up short, two miles away
From trout-rich shores of Cisco Bay.

And in the heat I did my best
To conquer this enormous test.
But in the end guess you could say
I failed the trip to Cisco Bay.

But next year I will try once more
To reach the pristine, rugged shore
Of Cisco Bay on Dickson Lake.
And, hope the hell there's no earthquake.

The Algonquin Chipmunk

Retiring at dusk and rising at dawn
This is the life I'd like to be on ...
Scampering 'neath the Forest's trees
Not a care in the world, completely at ease
Or chasing each other 'round a tree trunk.
Such is the life of the Algonquin chipmunk.

Back and forth gathering nuts they go
Knowing that winter is bringing the snow.
For many a day they keep this up
Storing the nuts in their tiny hut.
And never stopping to take a rest
Until they feel they've done their best.

Now winter has come and snow is here
So we won't see them until next year.
But when the snow begins to die
They'll come out from their sheltered lie.
And once again we'll see them play
In their cute ways on an Algonquin spring day.

The Algonquin Eagle

The Eagle soars where angels tread
Across the jeweled sky.
And mountain tops reach up to greet
His majesty up high.

He floats like magic on the air
Above snow-crested peaks,
Then goes into a shallow dive
For meal-time prey he seeks.

He swoops and plays up in the clouds
For many hours on end.
And upward drafts of precious wind
Are surely his best friend.

So when you're in Algonquin Park
Look up and search the skies.
And if you're lucky, you will see
The Eagle brave and wise.

It really is a wondrous sight ..
The Eagle strong and free.
I pray that man will let him live
For all eternity.