If Yeats Had Been
a Backpacker

by Glenn Mangold

I will arise and hike now, on th’Appalachian Trail,
And a small backpack carry, of ripstop nylon made;
Nine hours will I hike there, ’til legs begin to fail,
Then rest alone in a buzzing glade.

And I shall find some peace there, for I’ll be walking slow,
Walking from the fog of the morning until the crickets sing.
There midnight is for sleeping, at noon I’m on the go,
And evening’s full of housekeeping.

I will arise and hike now, for always from afar
I see a cloud-capped mountain, a shelter by a stream,
While I sit in my office, or waiting in the car.
I see them in the deepest dream.


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