Early Morning in the Ozarks

By Kayleigh Seftar, 15, Wisconsin

Table Rock Lake sits below me.

     Fog covers it like a blanket whispering through the trees,

     mountains emerging through the blurriness, sitting on top of the world.

The water shimmers like a fresh layer of glitter laid over the landscape.     

     The smell of the cabin is soft, warm, and comforting. 

     Ease mixes with the dew smell, and I’m in awe.

I settle on the porch of my cabin at Table Rock Lake.

     The cabin perches on one of the mountains surrounding the lake.

     No one else awake just yet; the world still.

     Every tree in its assigned spot watches over the lake.

     The cliffs of sandstone have been there longer than most people can comprehend, 

     and they shine in every orange and yellow seen in only the prettiest flowers.

Yet the graceful movements of the morning still go on.

     The sun slowly rises, awakening all that is around me.

     The growing birds chirp for their mama,

     hoping for a delicious breakfast they waited all night to enjoy.

     The slow run of the wind moves everything a step to the right

     giving all life a leisurely wake up call.

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I wanted to write about something I find beautiful that not many people pay attention to. The cabin my family owns in the Ozarks is the perfect place that fits what I wanted. My goal with this poem was to give it the credit it deserved. 

Photo by Maria Hada