Belmont Hills
Most poems are about emotion
This one is of place
The neighborhood around us
The vistas that we face
Our oak is dropping acorns
Like missiles on the deck
The squirrels are scurrying after them
Our backyard’s a wreck
There’s a gentle murmur of traffic
As background for our street
The scent of apples ripening
And footsteps of my feet
My dog halts at storm drains
Hesitation always there
Is it the metal grid that grates
Or a hint of raccoon in the air?
We climb up Monte Cresta
And then descend Monserat
Along our route trudge children
With backpacks big and fat
Some days we startle Does with wet noses
Staring at us through the mist
Maybe a fawn or two behind them
You get the gist
This place means beautiful mountain
And I’d say its name is apt
‘Cause as we walk its hills
With beauty, we are wrapped