We rode along the Kancamagus Highway
in October ‘67, my family of eight
and you at your prime, as striking as
the grandeur of foliage at its peak

Like frenzied bees we spilled
from the Ford Country Squire
sipped icy stream’s nectar with cupped hands
picnicked on weathered tables chained to granite

We posed for the Polaroid and captured
mere seconds to tuck in a pocket
memories for the scrapbook, souvenirs
to script the pages of my evening diary

You were a scenic vista—
filled with panoramic hope
passion as vast as the mountains
courage as vibrant as fiery maples
vision keen like the heir of Passaconaway

You climbed a cliff and perched above us
hailed from a rocky ledge, waved both arms
like a golden eagle ready to take flight
and proclaimed victory, “I’m king of the hill!”

Like the spirit of the great sachem
your voice soared over hilltops
exalting North Woods’ warrior
Kancamagus—Fearless One

© Patricia Zube
published by Franklin Pierce University,
Northern New England Review, Vol. 42, 2022