Introductory poem:  TENNESSEE HYMN

Composed by the author, upon looking out from the peak of Mt. LaConte in a haze of summer rain.

I remember . . .

I remember fair and rolling green hills,
Great oaks and pines reaching up high o’er
The hidden secrets of misty coves and fells,
That dark and haunted land I remember.
I remember well looking out o’er
Those rolling hills from some vista high above,
Seeing the deer browsing in some dark cove.
Land of hard rocks and free men, land I love.
Land of my heart forever, land I love.

I remember . . .

We sat together, she and I, beside
The hearth-fire of a drafty cabin high
Upon the stark and wind-blown mountainside,
Holding each other against the cold. I
Remember her soft hair, and though I try
Perhaps to forget, she’ll always be there
In my memories forever, and I
Think of smelling and stroking her soft hair,
Lying by the hearth with her, free of care.

I remember.

Long live the mountains high, land of my heart.
Long live the misty coves, land that I love.
Though I grow weary, and we are far apart,
She and I, short-haired maiden that I love,
I can stand high on a mountain above
The drafty cabin where I lay beside
The hearth with the north-country girl I love,
‘mid towering crags, under dome of sky,
Where in clay the bones of warriors lie.

And I remember.

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Author guidance for This story

Dedication: To Emma, my love, for whom the first draft was a late Christmas present. Any schmuck can buy flowers.

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updated Jun 9 '10 by NateDavis