I painted Watching McKinley in July '04 a year after a vacation to Alaska, and wrote the ekphrastic poem describing the painting in April '07.

::::::::

WATCHING McKINLEY

Brown grizzly bear sits and stares

at this pleasing midnight scene

Fireweed glows at his feet,

like hot coals of evening fire

Thin cloud hovers above green trees

Moist breath from lake below

Highest mountain on TurtleIsland

pulls his gaze to lofty peak

Flood of light from nearest star

bathes bright snow with orange streak

Sun flares excite atoms to

shimmering shades of green, red, blue

Wonder Lake reflects this view

of summer color that Nature drew

Dave McCauley April/07

Authors Website: dmm234@sbcglobal.net

Authors Bio:
Civil/ Environmental Engineer. Retired from the USDA Forest Service in 2001. Since then I'm dabbling in oil & watercolor painting, memoirs, poetry, grandfathering, golf, gardening, Meals-On-Wheels, and OpEdNews. To preview my new book, Ekphrasis, send me a Comment.