Lingering Eden

Amidst the steep and rocky heights there runs
A ribboned line of gray and mottled tar;
Unkept, and rough as any granite path,
A serpent winding through God's garden tract.
And all along this ragged, snakelike trail,
Neglected, cheerless, rise our mortal homes,
With warped and useless shutters hanging low,
Sporadic refuse piled on unkempt lawns,
A sagging roof and porch with peeling paint -
Like crumbling, mildewed fungus under foot.
Yet from these mushroomed heaps, such lovely views -
Bright azure lakes in stunning counterpoint
To rolling greens and blues and granite crags
That point with rocky fingers toward the skies.
Now driving this disheveled, snakelike path,
With verdant Eden's beauty ling'ring here,
I know that works of man could not compare,
Yet still, I wonder, could we not have tried?

photograph of Grafton Notch from
The Eyebrow on Old Speck Mountain

About the Artist and Photographer

Although I am a mathematician and web designer by trade, artistic expression has always been an important part of my life, whether I'm creating music, writing poetry, or painting pictures like the ones displayed on this site.

When I stand at the top of a mountain (like Old Speck - the mountain pictured above) and look down at the majestic beauty of the world below, I am astounded by the glory of God's creation, displayed all around for our pleasure and enjoyment.

Sadly, we are often too busy to notice the tremendous loveliness of a mountain peak, a gurgling brook, a rocky precipice, or the fiery colors of fall foliage. Instead, we are more likely to walk on by and, in our careless disregard for what has been given to us, add ugliness instead of beauty to this glorious world.

My goal, whether I'm writing music or poetry, or painting a picture, is to capture that sense of wonder and awe that we are so quick to pass by. It is my hope that when my life is through, people will be able to say of my life, my work, and my art: He added beauty and grace to the world wherever he touched it.

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