The Cottage

I took a strand of mountain land
where no one’s built before –
on earth that’s piled a quarter mile
above the valley floor.

A patch of ground beyond the sound
of busy humans’ tread –
where breeze’s sway and birds of prey
are sounds you’ll hear instead.

A place to be where I can see,
amongst the falls and streams –
a cottage hewn from wood and stone,
and shored with timber-beams.

A roof of shake with ample rake
to shed the winter’s snow
and rock to face the fireplace
from whence the warmth will flow.

A hardwood floor and fine décor
of any style I choose –
and wall of glass designed to pass
those panoramic views.

A fieldstone porch, an oil-lit torch
and chairs with cedar stain –
some shade to shun the summer sun
and dissipate the rain.

A wooden fence that’s less intense
than those of iron or steel
to stand and guard our house and yard
with a natural look and feel.

I’ll make some room for plants that bloom,
that never grew before –
and walk across the velvet moss
that paves the forest’s floor.

For now, the scene is just a dream,
a vision yet to be –
and though my shrine may lack design,
it’s land that holds the key.

Beyond the gates, it sits and waits
for what the future sends –
a cottage hewn from wood and stone
and a view that never ends.