POETRY: Promised Land State Park

The lake wasn’t always a lake
First came the trees
Or maybe the stream
The tornado came later
But left its mark for us to see

After the Minsi fled
After the Shakers sold the woods for scrap
After Roosevelt built the dam and the camps
After the trees came back
After the valley filled up

We stood at the edge of the scar
Where the ragged oaks met the lip of the lake
Watching my dog as she cut through the waves
Everything quiet except for the wind
Which carried you away from me