Geyser Dreams and Stone Footsteps
by Michael Doyle

A chronicle's story has been revealed
About sacred ground that has been unveiled
Hayden's expedition surveyed the majesty
That they happened on in Yellowstone Valley

This stretch of land was meant for exploration
It became a crown jewel benefiting our nation
Humanity was small against such magnificence
That for over 150 years has maintained significance

Towering mountains and deep canyons filled this space
Sprawling forests  filled this magical place
Over time, surreal beauty weaved its rich tapestry
With fingers of wooded strands of thick canopy

Intermittently laced with a thousand stories unknown
These make up the life we walk but are too seldom shown
Dancing along, barely skimming our revealed surface
We glimpse as we dream of these cherished traces

Like an artist's palette of geysers, mud pots, and springs
The poets know the joys of which only the minor gods sing
This sort of sublime wilderness changes every woman and man
As only this sort of beauty inspires as only it can

The Hayden Expedition no longer wanted to trade in gold
But as their journals whispered and their tale did unfold
The actual value of this sublime land became known
As the voices of the wild and the secrets they were shown

Became a glimpse into the earth's deep past like a dream
Thirty-two men had come in the name of a thing called progress
And as they traversed over mountains and flowing streams
They no longer wanted to tear it up to maintain it as best

That a gift-bearing stewardship might know its own morn
The dream of national parks was indeed meant to be born
Hayden blazed these trails along with these other pioneers
To share his discovery with us as a legacy of these golden years

Something had happened along the expedition's way
This sacred place found its way to survive into modern-day
Hayden had found, indeed, what true wealth means
And determined not to destroy but to share these dreams

(c) March 15, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved