MOTHER NATURE’S STAGE

The fog slowly settled, concealing the road.

Its ghostly white obliterating all about,

Holding in its soft, moist embrace

Sight of Earth’s most lovely vistas here.

A cluster of lights, shrouded by the fog

Slowly revealed in the faintest outline

A large white and gray modern structure.

The glowing, reddish sign high above,

Boldly declared this as the site of Crown Point.

Stopping to walk about, we went inside

Where we found ourselves in a quaint attractive dining room.

Ordering a slice of pie and coffee, which after

We carried outside to the veranda.

We sat there and cleaned our plates

Of every single scrap of that apple pie.

A lightness appeared in the heavy fog.

Now we could see the land drop off,

Exactly where that lightness first appeared.

The fog, lifting, like a giant curtain

Seemed to promise a precious gift of nature.

We walked to the edge of land, going slowly.

There before us, the fog opened

Like before a stage play revealing

A deep cliff.

Now unseen hands raised this curtain

Even higher.

Allowing us to see an awe inspiring sight.

The world about us seemed to pause

As if to emphasize what nature now presented.

Far, far below, a river broad and clear,

Opposite a cliff as the fog curtain climbed higher

Until the far cliff was as high as our own.

Quickly Mother Nature cleared away all the fog.

There before us, the gorgeous gorge

As green as green trees could make it.

The river far below, so clear and now lit up

As a shift of sunlight blazed across

As if heralding the opening act

Of Mother’s Nature’s play—

The beautiful vista of

The Columbia River Gorge.