PARTNERS

The dead leaves crackled underfoot

The old road invaded by willow and alder

There was the smell of fall in the air

Two birds for supper in the backpack

The next cornor beckoned me

I had been down this road before

With quiet laughter and feet in step

Those days came back to me

And I did not walk alone

There was a decided chop to the water

The sun just peeked over the eastern hill

Hot coffee steamed in a mug

The engine mutely purred

An urgent tap-tap on the line

The swift strike for hook set

I’m sure I heard quiet words of advice

From partners long departed

The fire snapped and twisted

Tiny sparks lifted skyward

And smoke swirled lazily around

The moon’s slash of golden light

Painted  the lake’s surface

The clink of beer bottle on stone

Was matched in memory only

Yet I knew I didn’t sit alone

Many years have gone into history

Countless steps taken in the search

Of what lay around the next cornor

Precious memories stored a life time

Hard times and matchless joys

Always the hunger to see more

Soon I would look with different eyes

As my footsteps here fade

But I would not walk alone