HOLIDAY TRAVELS

We primped and prepped 
For holiday events
That came
Rocked and rolled
Then left so fast – 
    to the last tree needle swept

I decided to examine where they went

The white Christmas which arrived on cue
Took five when warm winds and rains
Sent snowmen, in a panic, running
To
    the
        city’s
            drains,
Their graveyard of arm litter

                u
Sticking    p 

In the little snow that remained

Our out-of-town revelers traveled
Once the holidays died 
Back home, the phone verified
Their colds, flu and holiday blues
Had hitch-hiked to make new friends 

Holiday foods, once so proud
Are now huddled in the cold
Their trip to the disposal
Delayed a day or two

And those festive wrappings and bows?
In the basement, stowed
Or led to the curb, awaiting years        
Of breaking down barriers
with new landfill neighbors

The tree, undressed
Was let free, free to be
 A green recyclee                                        

But there the trails...begin to fade                                     

Interpretations made
About Christmas,
Hidden in memories diverse,
Left when our visitors Dispersed                                                                   
 
And somewhere, misplaced,
Is my taste 
For outrageous
Holiday decor

Dennis R. Keefe
February 26, 2009

 

          WE MADE IT

                                                Out the window, snow

                                                Mother Nature inhales; pause

                                                Then a whiteout blow

Leave by nine.  Arrive by three

Settle in

Get to Marquette to see

The U. P. 200 begin

Well, maybe by five

Or before dark

. . . .  Whenever

Lake effect advisories

Blizzard conditions closing roads

Do you believe in miracles?

Lunch at Grayling and the snow began

I-75 going north

Hannah and Alyssa benched -- Plan B

With compliments to the teens

From here on in adults would take the wheel

Lake Michigan snow bands taking turns

Left to right across the windshield

One minute, drive 70, the next, 35

Somewhere up ahead through the swirl

A five-mile long suspension bridge we cannot see

Miracle one, hello U. P. 

West on US-2

North of Lake Michigan’s blow

Catch our breath and a view

The beach, ocean-sized, iced as far as you can see

Rough-hewn ice dunes

Blocks, chunks and shards on shore

Further out, wind-swept clean

Unreachable but skate-able smooth

North again, M-77, zeroing in on Munising

Now Lake Superior hails us with its howl

Sing with me . . .

All day, all night, Marianne

Bands of snow

On the map, Marianne

God bless our rider’s holy bladder

Stop at a Krist station in Munising

And text check with party three

Coming up from Chicago, Louie

Missed a snow-blasted turn sign and is now nearby

Krist Two -- east

We were west

Miracle two, a cross-town family rendezvous

Time to caravan

Three on the way to Au Train Bay

Heavy snow, closed road, detour

Aaron on the phone, Liz navigating

Creeping, nearly piggy-back, through the snow-white black

Following flashing hazard lights in the dark  

Down a woodsy, winding road

Our target, the lane to Au Train lodge

Goal in sight.  To the right?

Up the lane, one last hill

But our van, the cow’s tail

Unable to follow the other two

Spun its wheels to no avail

Sitting, mulling what to do

When, gasp, over the hill

One and two retracing tracks

Four headlights aimed!

We’re a sitting duck

Brace!   

Last minute absolute worst!

Swerve!  Left!  Bump?

Course, corrected

Straight ahead down the hill

Miracle three, the lodge,

. . . Breathe

Let the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend begin

Hannah, disappointed

Missed the Friday night start of the race  

But quickly settled in

And helped us explore the sturdy embrace

Separating us from the blowing snow

And angry, roiling trees outside

Inside, a two-fireplace bonus

With spacious kitchen

Room to spread  

Three carloads of people

And a long weekend’s supply of things and snacks

Liz, on her game,

With pre packed mac and cheese, chicken salad

And generous servings of wine

Organized

Miracle four, our first meal

About that race

Images on TV of a snowy Marquette crowd

Downtown Friday night

Sending off fourteen twelve-dog teams

Yapping to get underway

120 miles east to Grand Marais

Mandatory halfway rest

Return Saturday night for a Sunday morning finish

Aaron and the girls, Saturday, caught up with the teams in Grand Marais

Then paid their respects to

The Great Lakes Brewing Company

And The Breakwall Bakery and Café

That night, same crew

Midnight along the run back to Marquette

Huddled around a barrel and fire

Viewing teams

At a designated interception spot  

            Sled dog racers

            Don’t do ovals with bleachers

            Be prepared to watch them run at night

            As the dogs can overheat

            But enjoy the bonfires and hot chocolate

Back at the lodge, Meme and Papa kept the fireplaces going

The front stoop scooped

And were just thankful to be

Up north

Sunday, on the way to see the finish

Clear roads and sunshine

We could finally appreciate Lake Superior’s winter scenes

Pause at Lakenenland Sculpture Park

Interception point and junkyard art

One team quietly making its way 
Forty minute wait for the next

So on to Marrquette

With its snow white hills and frozen bay

Traffic going about its way

Stay out of the way, Trolls

These Yoopers do it on ice every day

The trail’s finish, lined with bales of hay

Ambience and seats to see

The lead team swing to the right around the bay

Toward our noisy cowbells and cheers

Ryan Anderson, Ray, Minnesota, bib number 13

Interviewed over the P. A.  

While handlers arrived

To move his dogs to their trailer rig

Treats, rest, and a chance to be

Harness and booties free

Bib 5 from Quebec now claiming second place

For us, that ended the race

We retired to Doncker’s Candy Shop

For sandwiches, soups, coffee and pop

Skipping the flavored phosphates

We opted for Jilbert’s Ice cream, a local favorite,

Back at the lodge, late Sunday

A beachfront explore

For those under seventy

A bonfire on a snowy pyre

Burned its way down

Sinking toward the beach

Somewhere lower

Alyssa’s pictures captured the rugged wonder

Of Lake Superior’s icy tundra

Last order of family fun, Sunday evening jam

Clarinet, tuba, ukulele and trombone

The Base Layers quintet tuned, spooned, jugged

But mostly mugged for the cameras

Monday morning whirlwind

Clean up and pack

Then back up the slippery snowy lane

And several attempts

Back onto the road again

Tiptoeing through the elements

South and East across the U. P.

Thankful for the many snowplows

That kept the roads snow free

Once across the bridge  

Improved weather let us travel quickly south

And gradually back to last week's reality

While our thoughts began to brew  

Memories of the adventure

We made

With the help of a miracle or two

DRK

Presidents’ Day weekend, 2016

 

A STABLE ENVIRONMENT

Pre Christmas ice was
our morning rise surprise.

Awakened to broken trees
and the creeping news,
hour by hour,
of the power of power.

Neighborhoods, 
in the lurch,
were left in the throes 
of holiday prep.

Driven by winter’s grip
and disabled heaters into the dark
they made their way —

    one flashlight there poking about.

No traffic light control
encouraged courtesies,
patience and taking turns.

All in search of
warmth, light,
wi-fi, TV,

refrigeration, the irony

or any
helping hand.

Decorated homes, unable to glow their mystery,
raised the issue of nativity quality without electricity.

One of the lucky spared 
we, in the midst of chaos,
somehow kept our balance

and in fact, gained new found power,

winners in the game
of who is the helper
and who the helpee. 

Blessed with beds,
couch and floor space availability
we could adopt an open door policy.

Then from the east appeared

chain saws, strong backs and good will
removing neighborhood tree debris.

And uprooted friends,
    cooks in need of a kitchen,
    willing and able
    to spread our table,

    snow shovelers and story tellers
    lightened and brightened the day.

Long story short, as Christmases go,
this was the best

or at least
among the top two.

Our decorations even thanked us
for their expanded venue.


DRK
Christmas, 2013

 

LIGHTING A MALL PALL     

Antlered,

belled, trimmed in red

– oversized poster glam

in a men’s wear store --

a lifeless image

modeling holiday hospitality

fostered, for those on the move,

the illusion

of cheer.    

Seated at a cafe’,

I returned the stare

inert.

A woman stooped to greet a child

then eagerly await

news of his day.

Her focused smile,

filtered through tangled hair,

decorated my Christmas holiday.

Dennis R. Keefe

April 29, 2008

 

COME AND GO

Snow, freshly fallen

Sidewalks and drive, shoveled free

Beauty's in your eye

DRK

1/18/20

    NOVEMBER EXTRA-
ORDINAIRE

The best November asset
just may
be the ride one gets
when Advent’s cusp is passed
and it’s a downhill thrill
to Christmas day.

A young man,
three years in public service
    . . . promoting service . . .
stirred us up
with indiscriminate love affairs,
attracting followers everywhere
and cascading consequences
down to us today.

Never mind the fears that had him treed.
We cling to the news
that he was raised and we were freed
to continue his love story.

And as our November now wears on,
growing its darkness and creepy cold
I question my love affairs.
Are they warm enough?  Consequent free?
Do they light up too few?
And whom do I excuse
as too . . . too?

Come in . . . bring some wood for the fire.
We’ll use candles for atmosphere.
And while we’re here
let’s pause.
Honor the mother
who grew that babe
and cradled his desire
to learn to serve.

Y’all come, y’hear.

DRK
3/30/11

     NOVEMBER BETWEEN REVISITED

Went out to the pool to see,
but the grandchildren hadn’t come today
Instead the sun directed me
to warmed breezes
doing hands free massage

In the background, children’s summer noises
Could I use this stolen time?
Maybe compose a rhyme?
But Mother Nature silenced me
It was her turn
Oh, Mama, do your thing
and continue slowly, please

Was it really that good?
Or do I somehow misremember?

This is, after all, November.

Time to hunker down
build a fire and await
the first snowfall

Gatherings for the holidays

Is it too early to decorate?

Will it be that great
or do I misanticipate?

This is, after all, still just November.


DRK
6/11/11

     NOVEMBER REVISITED

Today’s array
of browns and grays
rouses memories
of teenage hunting days -- 
a few pheasants in the weeds,
but mostly cottontails
darting through the brush.
And all the while my buddies and I
harbored dreams of
something WILD.

Above in V’s
ducks and geese took their November leaves --
to exchange icing ponds and chilling air
for exotic who-knows-wheres.
They traveled fast
they traveled high,
like hell-bent SSTs.
We could but stare --
their reach, so far beyond our ken
or youthful hunting expertise.

But any day that we were there,
eager for what came our way,
trophies were bagged,
dragged home and magnified
in the stories we shaped
and would recall.

November, the perfect loom
to weave warp against woof,

imagination and a zest for living,
against autumns coarser fibers.


DRK
6/11/10

 NOVEMBER BETWEEN

                                                          

Spring drama and summer booty, now cached,

once again Mother Nature changes hats

and Gaudy October yields

to muted November’s aging fields.

Their many shades of browns and grays

underscore our shortening days.

At the fence, long rows

of brown corn stubble lead

to a spray of empty trees.

         Fans framing space

with limbs,

once lost in summer’s earnest greenery,                  

now, chilled,

reveal the interstitial beauty

of their gray twigged filigree.

Come inside.

Let’s toast nature’s annual evening time;

         Let fall your leaves,

         and sag your sap.

Enjoy Mother Nature’s windy music in the cracks.

We’ll light her logs and pour her wine.

Anticipate.

         She’ll soon unpack

         her stunning winter wardrobe wrap.                        

Dennis R. Keefe

November, 2008