Our home on the river sat alone in the forest
Acorns from the great oaks, strewn through the yard
We first got our water from a pump in the driveway
Four children, a few porcupines, our Irish setter dogs
Father took us for picnics to Indian Island with our boat
Like the turtles and crayfish, we were denizens of the river
January brought foot-thick ice on the river
We crossed to Pig Island, followed deer tracks in the forest
Buried beneath a snowdrift, our beloved green boat
Each new snowfall, barefoot races through the yard
Ice in their paws, hearts thumping, our brave dogs
Come dark we huddled near the fireplace in the house
Easter morning, a bunny visit, painted eggs in our house
Then Chinese Bells Day, clinking ice chunks filled the river
We braved the old road with our bikes and the dogs
Brought our mother blue violets from deep in the forest
Or dandelions that popped up all over our yard
The arrival of spring, the thrilling launching of our boat
Summertime, we set off to the channel in the boat
Between river and woods, we barely lived in our house
Steve and I did overnights in a pup tent in the yard
We constructed a log raft for diving in the river
And I built my camp hidden back in the forest
Forbidden to my family, but welcome to dogs
Autumn, now cooler, near perfect for dogs
We fished for perch and guppies in the boat
And gathered red and gold leaves from the forest
Ghost stories at the fireplace at night in our house
We’d ended our season of swimming in the river
Replaced it with basketball, touch football in the yard
All these memories of our house, river, yard
And lingering affection for our long-gone dogs
Our lives were shaped by growing up on the river
We were pirates on the high seas in our trustworthy boat
Savored whitefish and meatloaf at suppertime in our house
Few spots more enticing than our great U.P. forest
Acorn fights in the yard, expeditions in our boat
Camping with the dogs, playing basketball at our house We grew up on the river in the heart of the forest
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