Singing of the Forest Woods...Dorrance 1980

The singing of the forest woods
Bids me to go and embrace them
There singing colors of placidity
Enhance their beauty of truth

Sitting on the soft brown fallen leaves
I can lie back and forget
Forget of human-made sorrows
That crush upon the human soul

The sun sparkles its truth across the sky
Its rays penetrate through the forest
Then dance upon my tired face
Lightening my heavy load

For I know and can "sense"
The sorrows and pain that lie ahead
That no dancing sunrays can erase
When half of mankind shrieks in despair

And I, "afraid" of my part
That I must play on "center stage"
For my God "bids" me to march
Onward to change a wrong

But I know my tired hands
Can summon up the strength of new
Because I can hide away in some woods
And extract from nature God's wisdom

Even though I, too, often forget
The purpose of my Creator's plan
And spend too few hours in the woods
My spirit does not desert me...

by Mark E. Temme/Dorrance 1980


"Lake Lenwood"

I see the winter coming
Slowly upon Lake Lenwood
Angel-white flakes of snow
Melting into the water
Autumn winds turned spring water cold

White birch, hickory raped of leaves
Musky scents of autumn woods
The morning sun glistening on the water
Reflecting its message upon my face
I see the winter coming...

By Mark E. Temme (Dorrance Anthology 1980)

Note: Verse was written while Mr. Temme lived
at Lake Lenwood, West Bend, Wisconsin