Memorable Arras

The mountain trail is deeply
corrugated, ladders of tree roots
etching the soil, dark and moist
from the spray of the mountain
stream boiling ferociously over
the bald granite rock face
tumbling and roaring down
the mountainside to reach the
boulder-crowded stream below
the landscape gripped tightly
in a bruised dark cloud cover
sending opaque grey clouds of
ragged mist obscuring the
mountain peaks. The understory
of dogwood plentifully resembling
ground cover in the rich humus
of the forest floor. Hemlocks
soar to great heights alongside
oak and maple and majestic
yellow birch, exfoliating bark
rich in moss and lichen, the
atmosphere redolent of time 
and the graciousness of nature.