Driving through paintings
of ribbon roads
and jasper fields.
Of red barns
with green silage.
Paintings of pink sunsets
and orange pumpkin patches,
stroking garden plots
with color.
Driving through paintings
of osprey, hawk,
dove and kestrel
soaring over pastures of cows –
black and white on the landscape.
Paintings of bison
breathing white smoke in wintry air.
Bounding over hills in flowing formation,
like starlings swirl in unison through sky.
Driving through paintings
of covered bridges and fishermen
angling on riverbeds in deep boots.
Paintings of sea coves
with placid ocean at low tide.
Woodland paths of pine cover
and sun splashed pond,
where lily pads float serenely—
floral passengers in tow.
Driving through paintings
of steep mountain roads
with red autumn color
curving sharply toward rivers far below –
waterfalls foaming white.
Paintings of small towns
with gingerbread houses,
where the smell of morning coffee resides.
Driving through paintings
of apple orchards,
with gracefully shaped trees.
Of crooked fence posts
and arching elms.
Paintings of mountain backdrops
and lattice bridges.
Slivers of lake
reflecting sunlight.
Driving through paintings
of hay bales
patterned on pastures.
Rotund giants of food
for the sweet-faced ewes
and brown-eyed Guernseys.
Paintings of men on tractors,
bare-chested and suntanned,
harvesting corn
from the vast fields.
Driving through paintings
enlivened and at peace.
Embraced by the landscape
and rich life marked upon it.
