The forest calls gently,
“Come…spend time alone…with me;
“I have so much to show you,
“Come…away…and see!

The CAMPING OUT ‘bug’…got me,
So, I inquired…what I’d need;
I want to be comfortable…out there,
‘Comfort’…absolutely…yes, indeed!

Well, let’s start with a tent,
You know…it just might rain;
Sleeping bags…an air mattress,
I like ‘comfort’…not pain!

Then, a propane stove…we’ll need,
And, a propane lantern…too;
Of course…get a cooler,
Our list just grew and grew!

Yes, dishes and flatware,
Cookware, tumblers, and mugs;
An assortment of cans and bottles,
And, spray to keep away the bugs!

No, that box is far too small,
We’ll need something much bigger;
And, our car…far too small,
Trade it in…for that camping thingamajig!

Okay…we’re all set…now,
Down the highway we go;
Cars, trucks, vans and campers,
Backed-up traffic and we’re moving so slow!

All over-heated…our bodies and our tempers,
Still, the ‘call of the wild’ beckons;
Beckons…and I must go,
To the rural…and away from the urban!

All the camp grounds are filled-up,
"Reservations?" Didn’t know I’d need one;
But, hey…that’s okay,
I’m out here…determined to have some fun!

“Oh, just one camp site left”...you say?
“Great…I’ll take it!”
So, we stumble around in the dark,
We wouldn’t give up…we wouldn’t quit!

What a day it has been,
Totally exhausted…we fall into bed;
And, before I can even snore,
I hear something that I dread!

Is it a raccoon…moose or bear,
All those things you would expect…out here?
No…would you believe it…a train whistle,
And, it’s coming very near!

Wait a minute…what’s that I see?
Why, it’s the headlight of a train;
It’s bearing down on us…whistle blowing,
Faster…faster…and it won’t be detained!

`Round a corner…now it comes,
The headlight strikes our tent;
Such a huge…thundering giant,
It seems…on scaring us away…it’s bent!

Would we be scared away so easily,
From our ‘wilderness’ retreat?
I think not…No…never,
We’ll never admit defeat!

That thundering giant travels on,
As `round another bend it goes;
How many more timid campers,
Will it scare?…only heaven knows!

One night down…not so bad,
Almost ‘seasoned’ campers…we;
A whole day looms ahead of us,
What lies ahead?…we’ll see!
Three meals to make…then dishes,
Hey, this sounds so familiar;
I thought we’d left it all behind,
For something much simpler.

Still, it might be fun…outside,
So, we’ll give it a try;
It took the entire day…to do the work,
But, the fresh air was great…I’ll not deny.

I guess if we were more laid-back,
If we opened cans…used paper plates;
Maybe, CAMPING OUT would be more fun,
Then, ‘the call of the wild’ would be just great!

Don’t let me discourage you,
There’s lots of benefits ‘out there’;
Fresh air…peace and quiet,
Tranquility…away from the general thoroughfare!

And, while you are ‘out there’…all alone,
Let me remind you to…write;
Write a book about all your experiences,
I’ll read all about it…I just might!

********

June 16, 2004

Aimee Love
(LHG)