To Go to Door County

is to chase the dream
see a breeze move sailboats on the bay
nubile bodies sunning on the sand
when seven a.m. means a hurried breakfast
for wait staff before tourists drift in
hungry for fuel to spark their day
to wander the peninsula’s escarpment
feel isolation among crowds
somewhere to make a connection
discover adventure on hikes through
countless trails of parks and refuges
a wild ride through darkest night
freedom to wander village streets
paved and graveled lanes sand dunes
rising like waves on a larger sea
to hear music filling the always-summer
air on open water in concert halls parks
venues from Rock Island to the Steel Bridge
to be part of the color at the potter’s wheel
the woodworker’s bench to take our place
at galleries and festivals
touching and breathing what ought to be
touched and breathed like glitter on water
ribbons of flowers twined along roadsides
highlighting blossoms on cherry trees
the fruit of apple trees
to rise in Door County to the heights of eagles
the flutter of butterflies the at-ground level
of creatures of the forest
to be here
in memory and in life
to see the next sunrise sustain the beauty
to be here in Door County
where skies are always blue

June Nirschl is currently completing work on her third book of poetry, her first solo effort. Titled Before & After, the book will include the poem published here.