Lee Olofson

A Tribute to Antonette: a Collection from Her Early Years Lee Olofson

AN ABANDONED ROAD

There is a path now where once there was a road
Where smooth brown earth and jaded rocks
Fell away in deep depression
The trail of wheels and neighing horses and of lighter walks
It grows thick and tall, the grass that was once held at bay
Dared not to rise where tramping feet would crush
But staged on edge where cruel ungainly winds
Vent their wrath unceasingly with rain and dust
It has conquered now, for slowly the grinding ceased
And the lighter steps dwindled with the laughter it had known
It dared to rise between the ruts and bend
To hide the scars from some stray steps that roam
And intrude upon their sanctuary, where conquered winds
Hold not the lash of yore, but with gentleness obey
The lull moods of quiet rains, the brushed air
That shrouds the stillness of an abandoned road