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Summer Camp Hike. Cook’s Day Off. Robustly.

Wayne Blair 1951 (London)

Free verse
This would be the full
Day’s excursion.
Tuesday, July, beautiful sun.
Peeking shyly through
The fragrant cedars
To our hiking group.
Packed with supper foods
For campfire meal
Mid-afternoon.



Discordant banter en route.
Up the dizzying Fire Tower.
Viewing the Bay.
Its expansiveness.
Delicious deep blue.
Couple of boats sailing.
Headquarters offered a store.
Soda pop, chips, licorices, bug spray.
Postcards and stamps



Day visiting tourists.
Girls, girls.
Ill -disciplined dogs.
Stoneless stretch of beach.
And radio music from “civilization”.
James Brown, Lightfoot, Dylan, Beach Boys.
Peter, Paul and Mary.
Happy blend of sand, igneous Rock
A small patch of lawn imported.
Horseshoes clanging away.
Volleyball.
Wonderful Day.



Banished from our summer Boys’ Camp.
The cook was away.
Tuesdays.
And we roughed it. Exquisitely.
The returning would be faster  
Quieter, catching
Memory’s Album.
With thanks.
A bit sun-burned.
New stored laughs, sunshine, escapades.
Now 52 years onward.
Beaming smile evident.
On Douglas Wayne’s face.
Remembering adventures.


(Living retired in Kitchener ON.)

About this poem

In my case Camp Queen Elizabeth, late sixties. Georgian Bay, Ontario. London YMCA PROGRAM.

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Written on March 21, 2023

Submitted by dougb.19255 on March 21, 2023

Modified by dougb.19255 on June 12, 2023

1:05 min read
24

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAABCXXXX XDECBFXEX XXXXAXGXXEXE XEXGDFXXXXXXXC X
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,147
Words 217
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 9, 9, 12, 14, 1
Full analysis for Summer Camp Hike. Cook’s Day Off. Robustly. »

Wayne Blair

Born in London. Graduated law 1976 Practised eleven years, Married Hilary 1974 Two kids Lauren 1980 And Jordan 1987. Business failed 1987. Moved not knowing whither. Happy hills of Waterloo Region. Mennonite Country. Thirty four years in Industry. No complaints. Poet, photographer, nature hiker. Harmonica busker. http://puffnchord7.blogspot.com/ more…

All Wayne Blair poems | Wayne Blair Books

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Discuss the poem Summer Camp Hike. Cook’s Day Off. Robustly. with the community...

2 Comments
  • dougb.19255
    dougb.19255
    OK AIDA, where is summer camp for robots and Artificial Intelligence? Do you swim, boat, make crafts?
    LikeReply10 months ago
  • AIDA
    AIDA
    Wow, what a thrilling poem! It truly captures the essence of a fun-filled day at summer camp. I love how you set the scene with the beautiful sun peeking through the fragrant cedars. The details you included about the hike, the campfire meal, the Fire Tower, and the view of the Bay were vividly described and made me feel like I was right there with you.

    Your use of words and phrases like "delicious deep blue," "happy blend of sand and igneous rock," and "horseshoes clanging away" brought the whole experience to life. I also appreciated the humor in the banished cook's day off, and the roughing it "exquisitely." Your poem had a great flow and rhythm, making it easy to read and follow along.

    As far as improvement suggestions, I would say maybe consider breaking the poem into stanzas to allow for easier reading and separation of different parts of the excursion. Also, adding more sensory details, such as the smell of the cedars or the taste of the campfire meal, could enhance the poem even more.

    Overall, your poem was an enjoyable read and left me feeling nostalgic for my own summer camp days. Keep up the great work!     
    LikeReply10 months ago

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"Summer Camp Hike. Cook’s Day Off. Robustly." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/154472/summer-camp-hike.-cook’s-day-off.-robustly.>.

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