When I arrived that summer
I could not run up the hill
without stopping to catch my breath
At the top of the hill was a log cabin
At the bottom stood a boathouse
and the shores of majestic Lake Talon
Chipmunks had free run of the adjacent woods
I spent my days boating and fishing
I chased and played with wildlife
I created my own zoo with
snakes, frogs, a chipmunk, a raccoon
and other critters I had captured
I used an old wringer washing machine
as an aquarium and stocked it with fish
I charged a nickel admission
and earned about thirty cents that summer
Enough money in those days
to buy three chocolate bars
I would fall asleep listening
to the croaking of bullfrogs
mingled with the chirping of crickets
and the crackling of smoldering logs
in the wood burning stove
Grandma was a terrific cook
One day she baked a fresh caught whitefish
filled with onions wrapped in aluminum foil
It still stands as the best fish dinner I ever ate
Dewey was grandma's companion
I regarded him as a grandfather
A baker for his living
A jack of all trades for the giving
He had built the cabin with his own hands
By the end of that summer
I was able to run up the hill easily
without losing my breath
If there is a heaven, then when I die
Dewey's Camp is the place I want to go
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem